Signs of the Dragon The World Racing Grand Prix
by TheTrueBlackRose
Summary: This is the fourth story in the Signs of the Dragon series. Like the first three, this is a revised version of Yu-Gi-Oh 5d's. However, similar to the third story, the characters from Sailor Moon do take on a little more of a role this time around. To avoid any confusion, please read The Fortune Cup Duels, The Earthbound Immortals and The Road To Destiny, respectively. Thank you.
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1: The Question Of The Card_

A single spell card that depicts a portal streaming light spins from a dark void. "It was because of one card that my life was turned upside-down. That my mother and father lost everything. That I was forced to run for my life!" Sherry says, in voice-over. The card flips closer and closer, and then is held by her, still against the backdrop of the dark void, looking fiercely angry. Sherry whips it around, as though ready to play it. "It was because of one card that everything was ruined, but it will be through that same one card that everything will soon be fixed!" Says Sherry, in voice-over.

It's a scene of chaos in a plush, fancy room somewhere in one of New Domino's skyscrapers. Several men in suits sprawl on the floor incapacitated, and the furniture is knocked over and upended.

In the center of the room, one kind of chubby man, gray-haired, in a business suit, stands cornered by Sherry. "Whaddayou want? W-why have you come here?" Sherry walks a step forward and grabs the front of his shirt. "I've come here for answers." Sherry says. She keeps gripping his shirt with one hand, and with the other shows him the card with the bright portal. "This card. I want to know why it's so important!" Says Sherry. "I... don't know...!" Wrong answer. He is shoved out the door to the railed patio, half of whose windows have already been smashed through. Sherry strides after and backs him against the railing. "Don't know? You've been chasing me for it for weeks!" Sherry says. She grabs him by the front of his shirt again. "Now, I want to know why." Says Sherry. "Yes... fine... you're right... I have been after that card... but only because I got an order from someone to snatch it! I would tell you who the someone was, but he..." The man's loafered feet now dangle a few inches above the ground. "Gggh, he never gave me a name, I swear!" The tips of his toes rest on the ground. "I don't believe you!" Sherry says. "No... please... I'm not lying, this man is a mystery! He operates in the shadows...! Gaaah..!" "Shadows? He'll need more than shadows to hide from me! Vengeance will be mine!" Says Sherry. She lifts the man up again and his feet dangle helplessly a few inches above the patio... "No, stop! Don't!"

And he's thrown against a wall inside, knocked out.

Sherry regards him, arms crossed, with Ellsworth. "It's as I feared. To get some answers, we're going to need to do it with tech power, not muscle power." Sherry says. "With tech? And what tech might that be?" Asks Ellsworth.

Behind Sherry, the blinking red lights of the antennas atop the Public Security Bureau building are visible.

"What else? The city's most advanced comp grid, the Public Security Bureau's Super Mainframe." Sherry says. With that, she looks behind her out the window toward Security Headquarters. Ellsworth follows her gaze. "Ah, but of course. Question is, how do we access it?" Asks Ellsworth.

The following day. Minako, Trudge, Skylara and Bruno are seated together next to a floor-to-ceiling plate glass window, in a café somewhere in Domino. The china on the table suggests maybe they're meeting over coffee around mid-day. Chibi Chibi is seated on Skylara's lap, she's keeping herself occupied by playing with the latter's hair. "So, then. You still haven't regained your memory?" Trudge asks, addressing Bruno. "No. It's all still one big haze." Says Bruno. "Has Sector Security found any leads on Bruno's I.D.? Or Chibi Chibi's?" Skylara asks. Minako pulls out two documents. "Well, we ran their prints and did a face-scan down in the Super Mainframe, but no matches. And there hasn't been any missing child reports." Says Minako. The documents have pictures of Bruno and Chibi Chibi, and a big red circle with a slash through it printed across it. "Really? Nothing?" Bruno asks. "Don't worry, Bruno. We're going to keep at this. Skylara, would it be okay if he and Chibi Chibi shacked up over at your place for a little bit longer?" Asks Trudge. "Yes, of course." Skylara says.

Same time, outside the Public Security Bureau Headquarters. Two individuals in gray uniforms, one a woman with a tight blonde bun, the other a huge man carrying a metal suitcase, approach the building.

Skylara, Bruno and Chibi Chibi take the elevator back down to the ground floor after their meeting. Chibi Chibi is now running and jumping around. Bruno gazes out the window in the wall of the elevator, solemnly, the buildings beyond seem to get taller as they descend. "Are you alright, Bruno?" Asks Skylara. "Yeah. It's just-I have this weird feeling that someone out there is waiting for me. I dunno, that probably doesn't make any sense, does it?" Bruno asks. "Of course it does. Don't you worry, Bruno. We are going to find out who you and Chibi Chibi are." Says Skylara. "Yeah, I sure hope so. I feel so lost." Bruno says. Chibi Chibi runs up to Skylara and stands before her, looking up at her. "Mama." Says Chibi Chibi, innocently and cutely. Skylara kneels down to her level and places one of her hands on top of her head. "You must really miss your mother and father. Don't worry, Chibi Chibi. We are going to find them." Skylara says. "Chibi." Says Chibi Chibi. She runs into Skylara's arms. "Mama." Chibi Chibi says, smiling up at Skylara. "I don't know what it is. Ever since she met you and Jack, she's been calling you 'mama' and him 'dada'. It's as if she really does believe you and Jack are her parents." Says Bruno. Skylara stands up and Chibi Chibi goes back to running and jumping around the floor of the elevator. "Yes, I know. However, it isn't possible." Skylara says.

A busy day in the office at Security Headquarters. A female announcer on a large screen overlaps with urgent business chatter. "Attention, all Sector Security personnel…" "Trudge? You got a call on line fourteen!"

At the end of a row of busy phone operators, Trudge picks up a handset. "Yeah, ya got Trudge here..." "…We need to evacuate…" "Who is this?!" Asks Trudge. "The building operator! I just got a call saying that the place was completely rigged!" Trudge is thunderstruck. "Huh! Completely rigged with what?" Trudge asks. "Whaddaya think, with explosives! So everyone needs to evacu…" The phone conversation is cut off, with a crackle of static. "Hello?! Hello! Hey, are you there?!" Asks Trudge. He is really starting to panic.

Minako looks up from reading papers at her desk nearby, the uniformed young lady who brought her coffee is just as startled. Then the audio of the big screen cuts out and a loud microphone feedback whine interrupts all business in the room. The operators look up from their desks, bewildered. "What's going on?" Trudge asks. A menacing voice comes over the speakers. "Hmhmhmhm. He's not, but I am." Trudge stands, still holding the phone set to his ear. "Who is this?!" Asks Trudge. "This is someone with a great many lives in their hands." "Yeah, right… I'm callin' your bluff, pal!" Trudge says. "Very well, I'll prove it." Trudge and Minako gasp, horror-stricken.

A moment later, a spot on the side of the PSB Building explodes, billowing dark smoke.

The room rocks, and the ceiling lights go out. A dial tone can be heard on Trudge's phone, the mystery bomber hung up already.

Minako stands up, taking charge, though her voice wavers slightly. "Code Red!" Says Minako.

Trudge gasps, brought back to the situation by her words, then goes into action. "You heard her, everyone evacuate!" Trudge says.

The phone operators clear from the room, quickly.

Skylara, Bruno and Chibi Chibi are stuck in the elevator, which apparently stopped when the lights went out, listening to a computer voice over the building's public address speakers with alarm. "Code Red. Repeat, Code Red. Please evacuate immediately." Says the computer. "Evacuate?" Skylara asks. "And we're stuck in here?" Asks Bruno.

In front of the PSB Building, people stream from the open front doors, some with cell phones or other gizmos.

Minako's holding a small handheld holographic screen.

Trudge hurries up to her. "Chief, our division is all out of the building." Trudge says. "That's good." Says Minako.

The Deputy Director is a bulky man in a dark red suit, bald on top with brown hair around the back of his head and a bushy brown mustache. He calls to them from nearby. "Does anybody know who was on the phone?"

"We aren't sure." Minako says.

"Deputy Director, there are no reported injuries!" "Deputy Director, the press is demanding that you make a comment!"

Trudge and Minako watch form a distance, a few men nearby are kneeling on the sidewalk with their laptops, and officers in uniforms and business suits are milling around, frantically.

A crowd of half a dozen clusters around the Deputy Director, all speaking at once. "Deputy Director!" "Deputy Director!" "Deputy…"

"The poor guy, I feel sorry for 'im. After all, he didn't sign up for this, the real Directors can't be located and Vice-Director Lazar is away to who-knows-where on some extended vacation. Now, there's practically no one left to run this place." Says Trudge.

Just then, the building's metal shutters rattle closed, sealing every entrance. Security has just been locked out of their own building.

"What gives! Why is the building locking itself?!" Trudge asks. "I'm not sure. That's not protocol." Says Minako. She consults her screen.

In an endless blue room, little yellow lights drift in figure-eight patterns around four pillars, atop each of which is a throne. Geometric designs in strict right angles weave across the ceiling. Below the four thrones is an ellipsoid window, showing the scene outside Security Headquarters. The four Directors-General watch from their thrones.

"It seems the flies are doing quite a bit of buzzing these days! Oh, how I like to watch. I find it so amusing seeing them search for answers. Eheheheheheheheh!" Lester says.

"That clown Lazar is still on the run, which means..." Says Primo.

"Which means we do nothing and let these fools destroy themselves!" Galaxia says.

The two mysterious individuals in grey uniforms who approached the building earlier hurry down a flight of stairs inside the darkened Security building, tossing off their sunglasses and flinging off their nondescript hats, it's Sherry and Ellsworth.

"This should do it." Says Skylara. Some skillful tinkering with a screwdriver has finally allowed her and Bruno to pry apart the doors of the elevator. "Nice going, Skylara." Bruno says. "Thank you. Now, let's get ou…" Says Skylara. As they emerge from the elevator, they catch sight of Sherry and Ellsworth, as they reach the bottom of the flight of stairs and turn the corner to descend another level. "What in the world?" Skylara asks. "D'you know them?" Asks Bruno. "Yes. However, where are they going!" Skylara says. She takes off running after them.

Bruno hesitates before following. "Hey, d'j'you forget? We're supposed to be evacuating!" Says Bruno. Chibichibi then takes off, running after Skylara. "Mama!" Chibi Chibi says.

"Chibi Chibi, come back here!" Says Bruno. He goes running after her.

After a moment of typing on a control console keyboard, the screen displays an icon that depicts a lock with a circle and slash across it. "There. We now have complete access to the Super Mainframe! Come on!" Sherry says. She turns to descend the stairs from the control panel platform, and Ellsworth follows.

Skylara is waiting to intercept them, Bruno and Chibi Chibi right behind her. Chibi Chibi, a little scared of the dark, clings to Skylara's leg. "Sherry." Says Skylara.

Sherry and Ellsworth stop in their tracks. "Skylara. Long time, no see. What's happening? You smarten up and decide to join my team yet?" Sherry asks.

"Now is not the time to talk about that." Says Skylara. "We all have to get out of here! It's not safe to be in this building right now!" Bruno says. "Chibi." Says Chibi Chibi, as if in agreement.

"Heheheheh. Actually, yes it is. We just rigged one blast for effect!" Sherry says.

"Wait, then you are behind this? But why?" Asks Skylara.

Sherry turns to leave through the large door at the opposite end of the room. "Sorry, but that's simply none of your business. Au revoir!" Sherry says.

"Wait!" Says Skylara.

Ellsworth blocks her path. "Let me through! You two won't get away with this!" Skylara says.

"Try and stop me." Says Sherry. She turns, and disappears into the dark area beyond. The door begins to shutter closed behind her.

"Sherry!" Skylara says. She lunges forward and Ellsworth heads her off. "Agh!" Says Skylara.

Bruno grabs Chibi Chibi, takes her into his arms and gets around Ellsworth, while his attention is on her and runs for the door. Ellsworth whirls and throws a tool, catching Bruno on the ankle and tripping him. Bruno tightens his hold on Chibi Chibi, securing her close to his chest. Bruno rolls, hits the ground on his tailbone, and slides right under the door as it closes. "Whoa!" Bruno says.

"Lucky punk." Says Ellsworth. He is still blocking Skylara. "Bruno, you have to stop Sherry!" Skylara says, calling over Ellsworth's shoulder toward the door.

"You can count on me, Skylara!" Says Bruno.

"No, you can't." Ellsworth says, addressing Skylara. He turns and walks toward the sealed door. "You know he's no match for Sherry. But, you might be. Therefore, I cannot allow you to pass." Says Ellsworth. He smashes a glass panel beside the door with his fist, and reveals two slender coated wires, one green and one blue. A panel on the back of his duel disk slides open and he plugs these into two matching ports. His duel disk lights up with a lifepoint count of 4000. "Shall we?" Ellsworth asks. He activates his duel disk. Two lights on the wall beep and light up red, and a screen on the wall next to where the blue and green wires are attached to it similarly reads 4000 lifepoints.

"Are you saying that the only way that door is going to open is if I beat you in a duel?" Asks Skylara.

"That's right." Ellsworth says.

Skylara walks to the other end of a dueling distance. "Very well, if that is what it is going to take. I may not know what Sherry is up to. However, I plan to stop it here and now." Says Skylara.

"Then you'll have to get through me! From my hand, I summon Spirit Summit Warrior!" Ellsworth says. Spirit Summit Warrior has 1200 attack points and is a level 4 monster. "Next, I activate Spirit Summit Warrior's ability. It lets me summon one level-three-or-below warrior-type monster from my hand. And the monster I choose is the Liberated Rear Warrior!" Says Ellsworth. Liberated Rear Warrior has 0 attack points and is a level 3 monster. As Ellsworth speaks, the two monsters are already beginning a synchro-summon. Liberated Rear Warrior slashes his naginata and dissolves into three stars. "Now, both of these battle-hardened heroes will tune together and create a champion even more powerful! Behold the power of two warriors working as one! Behold the power of a synchro-summoning. Rise and conquer, Driven Daredevil!" Ellsworth says. Driven Daredevil has 2400 attack points, 2100 defense points, is a level 7 monster and is an earth type monster.

When Driven Daredevil is attacked by a monster with more attack points, it survives, and the attacking monster is destroyed.

"With that, I end my turn, with two face downs." Says Ellsworth.

"My draw! And first, I shall send Wrecking Ball in my hand to the grave, to summon, Wham-Shell!" Skylara says. Wham-Shell has 700 attack points and is a level 5 monster. "And now, because there is already a tuner monster out on my field, Wrecking Ball in my grave is summoned to join him!" Says Skylara. Wrecking Ball has 800 attack points and is a level 2 monster. "Now, level-five Wham-Shell, tune with level-two Wrecking Ball and take aim to make an even mightier beast!" Skylara says. A gold mace whirls in the air, Wham-Shell smashes his mace into the ground making water form at his feet. Wrecking Ball soars through the aligning five rings. "Put together all of your powers, and merge all of your might! I synchro-summon, Sunburn!" Says Skylara. Sunburn has 2800 attack points, is a level 7 monster and is a fire type monster.

"Ggghh!" Ellsworth growls under his breath.

"Now, Sunburn, attack Driven Daredevil! Go, Infinite Flame!" Skylara says.

Daredevil faces down the attack, catching it on his crossed blades. Ellsworth's lifepoints decrease to 3600. "I'm not letting you through that door! I play Daredevil's special ability, Determined Will!" Says Ellsworth. Daredevil uncrosses his swords in a double slash, and a strong wind begins to blow through the room.

"What is this?!" Skylara asks.

"This, I'm afraid, is the end of the road for your Sunburn, Skylara Galatea!" Says Ellsworth.

Daredevil expertly crosses his glowing swords in a T, then leaps skyward and slashes down on Sunburn's chest with both swords, leaving two deep gashes. Daredevil's eyes glint bright white.

"Next, I play "Master and Servant's Resolve". From now on, if a monster is destroyed in battle due to another monster's ability!" Ellsworth says. A glowing knife shoots from the card, straight toward Skylara! "The destroyed monster's attack points are dealt as damage!" Says Ellsworth.

The glowing dart stabs right into Skylara's stomach, she grips it with both hands. This brings her all the way down to 1200 lifepoints, but she doesn't make a sound.

"However, in order to keep this continuous trap in play, I must take one thousand points of damage every turn." Ellsworth says.

"That means, you shall only last in this duel for four turns at the very max!" Says Skylara.

"Four turns is all that I will need, and my Driven Daredevil will see to that!" Ellsworth says. With him and Driven Daredevil looming over her, Skylara is up against quite a challenge.

Skylara's vivid emerald green eyes are blazing. "Well then, it is time to take this duel up a notch!" Says Skylara.

Outside the shuttered entrance to the Security Building, Trudge impatiently watches a crew cut through the metal with welding torches. _"The only way the security screens would activate is if someone on the inside activated them. I'm starting to smell a rat here!"_ Trudge thinks to himself. "Trudge!" Minako says. "Huh?" Asks Trudge. Minako shows him her little screen. "Remote feeds indicate someone's trying to access the Super Mainframe!" Minako says. "What? The Mainframe?! But, that would give them access to the city database, which would mean…" Says Trudge. He then wails. "Aaaahhh!" "Right. All kinds of bad things. Pick up the pace, men!" Minako says. "The ones we want are inside!" Says Trudge.

Sector Security's Super Mainframe is topped with a colorful array of lights. It's a really big supercomputer. Sherry stands before the console on the front of it. She holds the mysterious card with the bright portal before her. "At last, the truth will finally be mine." Sherry says.

Bruno runs into the room after her, one arm outstretched, the other arm holding Chibi Chibi securely close to his chest, in a protective manner. "Stop! Don't even take another step! It's over!" Says Bruno. "Chibi!" Chibi Chibi says.

Sherry whirls, and Bruno can barely yelp before being felled by a kick to the head. Sherry faces him, ready to attack again, and Bruno cowers on the ground.

Chibi Chibi stumbles out of Bruno's arm and runs underneath the Mainframe table, hiding underneath there, trembling with fear.

"Wait-no-stop-please don't hurt me!" Says Bruno. Sherry answers with another flying kick, he barely manages to scramble out of the way.

Skylara and Ellsworth face off across the room outside the Super Mainframe.

"I summon Eruptor in defense mode." Skylara says. Eruptor has 300 defense points and is a level 3 monster. "I then end my turn with a face down." Says Skylara.

"My draw then. In order to keep 'Master and Servant's Resolve' activated." Ellsworth says. Another glowing dagger flies from the continuous trap and plunges into his own stomach. He grips it with both hands, face strained and intense. "I take one thousand points of damage!" Says Ellsworth. This leaves him with 2600 lifepoints.

Skylara is watching carefully, this is where Ellsworth's style speaks volumes.

"Now, Driven Daredevil will attack Eruptor!" Ellsworth says.

Daredevil destroys Eruptor.

"And since you did, and Eruptor was destroyed, I can now summon Ignitor out from my deck!" Says Skylara. Ignitor has 200 attack points and is a level 2 monster.

"In that case, I play 'Reversal Sword'. Due to this trap, when your monster is destroyed in battle, a monster with a level lower than that monster is also destroyed!" Ellsworth says.

A sword shoots from the card and slashes Ignitor, then shatters, Skylara shields her face from the shards of steel. She's down to 1000 lifepoints.

"And then, both players take damage equal to that destroyed monster's attack points." Says Ellsworth. He also takes 200 points of damage, leaving him with 2400.

"I shall now end my turn with a face down." Skylara says. _"And end any chance I have to do damage this round! Every monster I play, he pulverizes a moment later!"_ Skylara thinks to herself.

A holographic screen appears in the air above the duel, it shows the front of the building, just as Security troops rush through the new doorway they made. Trudge and another higher-ranked officer in a brown coat lead the charge. "All right, men, sweep the place!" "You three, follow me! We're goin' to the Mainframe!" Says Trudge, via-screen.

"This isn't good." Ellsworth says.

Meanwhile, Sherry kicks at Bruno again and he leans back, just barely evading her.

Chibi Chibi is watching all of this from underneath the Mainframe table.

"Whoa-please-let's just talk!" Says Bruno. Sherry whirls and kicks again, and he lands on the floor on his rear. Almost before he can recover, she runs at him and punches down, he rolls out of the way. Her punch hits the floor. Then her cell phone rings, leaving Bruno coughing on the floor, she answers it. "What's up?" Sherry asks. "Sector Security has entered the building. There's not much time, have you found what you're looking for?" Asks Ellsworth, via-phone. "No. There's been an unexpected delay." Sherry says. Bruno catches his breath on the floor, listening. "I need more time." Says Sherry. "But, Sherry…" Ellsworth says, via-phone. "No buts!" Says Sherry.

"I'm not leaving until I find the answers I need!" Sherry says, via-phone. "Very well." Says Ellsworth. He hangs up and puts his cell phone away.

"So, you plan to continue this duel? Don't you see, it is only a matter of time before you get captured." Skylara says.

"What happens to me doesn't matter. Sherry must be allowed to solve the mystery of that card no matter what the cost may be!" Says Ellsworth.

"What card?" Skylara asks.

"The card that's determined the course of her life." Says Ellsworth.

Back in the Mainframe room, Sherry advances on Bruno again. "Please… please, no more..." Bruno says. Sherry grabs the front of his shirt and pulls him up. "Why don't you just leave now before you get caught?" Asks Bruno. "Because I'm willing to risk my freedom and more for the information I'm looking for!" Sherry says. "Why? What's this info?" Asks Bruno. "It all has to do with one card, where it came from, who handled it, everything! Once I find that out, I can find out who took my parents from me, and finally get my revenge!" Sherry says. "Wha...?" Asks Bruno. Sherry's duel disk unfolds its field spell zone, then another cap folds off the end of that, revealing two metal prongs, crackling with electricity. These might normally allow a duel disk to plug into something, but she clearly intends to use them as a weapon. "That's why no one will interfere!" Sherry says. She lunges forward, stabbing toward Bruno's face with the crackling prongs. Bruno is frozen, too slow to get out of the way, the menacing crackle of electricity reflects in his blank, slate-blue eyes.

Then, at the last moment, they light up bright, sparkling red. Before Sherry knows what hit her, Bruno has just done an impossible somersaulting scissor-kick, balancing on his fingertips, fending her off and gracefully putting distance between them, something mild-mannered Bruno would never have been able to pull off alone. His eyes are still shining like bright red stars. Sherry hits the ground at a crouch and springboards off of it, whirling through the air for another kick. Bruno, or whatever has possessed him, halts her kick less than an inch from his face, gripping her ankle and keeping her off-balance, then casually swinging her around by the ankle and flinging her into the wall. Sherry spins around in midair, keeping her opponent in sight, ready to come back again, but just as she turns, he catches her by the throat and holds her at arm's length, his other fist at the ready. The card with the glowing portal slips from inside the lapel of her disguise, and he takes it from her, examining it closer. "No… that card...! It's the only clue-that I have to help me set my life straight again...!" Says Sherry, protesting weakly. "Set-my life-straight-again...!" Bruno says. The scary red glow fades from his eyes.

Bruno releases Sherry, leaving her on the floor coughing, and walks over to the computer console. Bruno places the card on a small, round scanner on the console and holds down a big red button next to it.

Sherry walks over to Bruno, suspiciously, as he starts typing. "What are you doing?" Asks Sherry, hoarsely. "Solving the mystery. This computer is highly advanced, I'll operate it for you." Bruno says. "Why are you helping me?" Asks Sherry. "I know what it's like to have questions about the past. And if this is your one chance to get some real answers, and I can help..." Bruno says. He turns. "…well then, why not." Says Bruno.

"Wait, so, this is all about Yliaster? And getting revenge?" Skylara asks.

"Correct, Skylara. And Sherry will not be denied that revenge." Says Ellsworth.

"Even if she ends up being taken like her parents?! Does she have any clue what kind of trouble she is stirring up?!" Skylara asks.

"She knows what she's doing. It's not my place to try and stop her." Says Ellsworth.

"In that case, I guess the job falls to me! It is my turn!" Skylara says. _"Perfect!"_ Skylara thinks to herself. "I summon to the field Double Trouble!" Says Skylara. Double Trouble has 1000 attack points, is a level 4 monster and is a magic type monster. "Now, due to Double Trouble's ability, I can summon a monster with five hundred or less attack points from my grave! So, welcome back, Eruptor!" Skylara says. Eruptor has 300 attack points, is a level 3 monster and is a fire type monster. "However, there is more, because on a turn that I'm able to successfully summon a monster, I can summon out Reptilianne Viper, as well!" Says Skylara. Reptilianne Viper has 0 attack points, is a level 2 monster and is a dark type monster. "And now the stage is set! Level-four Double Trouble, tune with level-two Reptilianne Viper, and level-three Eruptor!" Skylara says. Double Trouble's four stars shoot into the sky and float back down as green rings. Eruptor and Reptilianne Viper soar into them. "Out of three will come one, and out of one will come great cosmic might! I synchro-summon, Cynder the Black Dragon!" Says Skylara. Her mightiest monster soars forth, filling the air with darkness. Cynder the Black Dragon has 2900 attack points and is a level 8 monster.

"Cynder the Black Dragon! But, that means..." Ellsworth says.

"It means, I can negate an effect that destroys cards and get rid of the card it came from. Of course if I do, then Cynder the Black Dragon must pay the ultimate price..." Says Skylara.

Vision. As she speaks, she envisions a possible end of the duel, in monochromatic blue tones. Cynder the Black Dragon is crying out, in pain, red glowing cracks shattering her chest and wings. She darkens, and evaporates from the field. "...And be banished to the graveyard. However, it is a price well worth paying, since the card I'm choosing to get rid of is Driven Daredevil!" Skylara says, in voice-over.

Across the field, Cynder's dissolving fire reaches over and strikes Driven Daredevil from the field. Another glowing dagger emerges from Ellsworth's continuous trap, and plunges into his stomach. "Now, due to the effect of 'Master and Servant's Resolve', you shall take damage equal to his attack points, and that is twenty-four-hundred points, which means…" Says Skylara, in voice-over. The vision ends.

Back to the present. "It shall be game over for you." Skylara says.

"Are you sure about that, Skylara? If I prevent Cynder the Black Dragon's ability, using my face down..." Says Ellsworth.

Vision. Ellsworth's potential end to the duel plays out, in green monochrome. Driven Daredevil slashes Cynder the Black Dragon across the nose, and Skylara takes a glowing dagger to the stomach. "And then destroy 'er using my Daredevil, then you'll take the effect of 'Master and Servant's Resolve'." Ellsworth says, in voice-over. The vision ends.

"And your lifepoints will be gone." Says Ellsworth.

"Very well, then. I guess, it all comes down to this next move." Skylara says.

"I guess so." Says Ellsworth.

"Well, then! Let's get to it!" Skylara says.

Daredevil's swords flash, Cynder shrieks. Both have just declared they'll win in the next turn, and neither is backing down.

"Cynder the Black Dragon! Attack with Dark Shadow Flame!" Says Skylara.

"I activate the trap 'Standoff'!" Ellsworth says. Daredevil withstands the blast, as does he, his lifepoints decrease to 2300. "Next, I'll play my Daredevil's ability!" Says Ellsworth. Daredevil slashes across her chest with both swords, and dissipates Cynder's blast. "Now, since Daredevil has the least attack points in this battle, he survives and your monster is destroyed!" Ellsworth says.

"Not so fast, I'm releasing Cynder the Black Dragon! So, that ability is negated!" Says Skylara. Cynder screeches dramatically, and starts to go dark.

"I don't think so. Due to 'Standoff', you can't release Cynder the Black Dragon." Ellsworth says. A glowing yellow band flies out of the card and wraps itself around Cynder the Black Dragon, binding her wings to her sides. She abruptly stops darkening. "Now, go lay waste! Finish Cynder off, Daredevil!" Says Ellsworth. Daredevil slashes, his double swords grating against the ring that binds Cynder, then sliding right through it. "But how?!" Ellsworth asks.

Cynder evaporates from inside the imprisoning ring, leaving Daredevil slashing at nothing. The empty hoop falls to the floor, with a hollow clink and shatters. Then, the air begins to shadow in darkness, Cynder has returned in ghostly form. "I can tell you how, with the trap 'Space Jump'! Now, I remove Cynder the Black Dragon from play, and you take damage equal to her attack points!" Says Skylara.

Ellsworth doesn't flinch, or blink, even facing down a huge, dazzling fireball of black and purple power. By the time his lifepoints sink to zero, the room is dark again. The lifepoint counter on the door drops to match, and the door slides open. Ellsworth stands beside it, defeated, and bows decorously. "You've earned your passage. And please, tell her I'm sorry." Ellsworth says.

Skylara has walked past him, but pauses without turning around. "For what? We both want the same thing, to help Sherry." Says Skylara. "What?" Ellsworth asks. Skylara looks over her shoulder, and smiles. "Come on, we shall have a better chance if we work together!" Says Skylara. "Hmm." Ellsworth says.

Back at the Mainframe, the card scanner blinks. Sherry looks over Bruno's shoulder at the glowing red computer screen, anxiously. Chibi Chibi is sitting on Bruno's lap, unaware of what's going on. "Analysis complete." Says the computer. "All right. There ya have it. Guess, that's that." Bruno says. "No way! There's no way that this is right! This card has answers! It has to!" Says Sherry.

Just then, the card itself starts to light up, throwing out a halo of prismatic light before several beams of golden light shine from its center, as though through the image of the portal. Sherry and Bruno flinch back, shielding their eyes from the light.

Above the Security building, the sky grows dark and scary, several concentric layers of purple clouds blossom from above the rooftop satellite dish, as though the sky has just opened up a spontaneous black hole. Purple lightning strikes through the heavens. The wind has begun to blow.

Minako looks up at the phenomenon from the sidewalk below, with an alarmed gasp. "What's going on?!" Minako asks.

Around her, several other officers are also staring at the strange occurrence.

The purple lightning strikes more, and closer to the ground than before, and bolts strike at the top of the building again and again, seemingly without any damage to the architecture.

Skylara and Ellsworth run into the Mainframe room to find a windy storm of random dust and bolts of energy. "Sherry! Bruno!" Says Skylara. She runs a few steps, but stops short, guarding her face with a hand as she peers toward the center of the room. "What is happening?!" Skylara asks.

She then suddenly feels something against her lower leg and looks down. "Chibi Chibi." Says Skylara. Chibi Chibi looks up at her, with her innocent blue eyes and smiles, seeing who it is. "Mama!" Chibi Chibi says. She reaches her arms up towards Skylara. Skylara picks Chibi Chibi up and holds her in her arms. Chibi Chibi presses herself against Skylara's chest, trying to block the brightness from her eyes, as the latter continues trying to walk further towards it.

Sherry and Bruno haven't moved from the brightly-shining computer console, which only shines brighter and brighter as they struggle to stay standing. The mysterious card on the scanner is glimmering with shadowy purple lights.

Skylara again fights toward the center of the storm, just as the card glows white, and the light spreads from it like the blast of a bomb, encompassing first Sherry and Bruno, then Chibi Chibi and Skylara, and finally Ellsworth. "Sherry, no!" Says Ellsworth.

When the white light fades, it doesn't fade much, because Skylara, Chibi Chibi, who's still being held in her arms, Bruno and Sherry now find themselves standing in a void of white tiles, the floor under their feet is tiled in pure, reflective white, as is the ceiling several feet above them, and the walls are infinitely far away, if they even exist at all, surrounding the whole space with bright, reflected white light. "Where are we?" Skylara asks. "And how did we get here?" Asks Bruno. The three of them look around, oblivious to their being mapped on a grid, or watched. A camera lens zooms in on Skylara's face, and superimposes a grid of rectangles over the image.

Skylara glances over, as though presciently aware of the scrutiny. She has noticed something else in this empty white void, rotating benignly some distance away. "What is that?" Skylara asks. Bruno and Sherry turn around. Chibi Chibi's eyes and face show complete fear, as if she's seen what it is before. Chibi Chibi starts tearing up and presses her face and hands against Skylara's chest, hiding herself with the latter's hair, or trying to anyway. Skylara looks down at her, concerned, and so do Bruno and Sherry, both of them looking down at her over either of her shoulders. "Hey, what is the matter?" Asks Skylara. "Mama." Chibi Chibi says. She doesn't look up at her, tears are still running down her cheeks, as a glowing crimson red outline forms around her. Chibi Chibi's dark pink hair suddenly flares crimson red, similar to how the red gradation portion of Skylara's hair does. Skylara gasps. _"She has traces of the Crimson Dragon's powers."_ Skylara thinks to herself. She soon has a glowing crimson red outline to her, too. Skylara's Sign, additional markings, symbolic designs, Seal of the Crimson Dragon, the red gradation portion of her hair and eyes have all lit up, as well. Chibi Chibi looks up at Skylara, with tears still streaming down her face and her eyes are also glowing crimson red. _"Who are you really, Chibi Chibi?"_ Skylara thinks to herself. Chibi Chibi touches her face.

As soon as she does, visions flash before Skylara's eyes.

The visions soon stop, and the glowing outline around them vanishes. Skylara's Sign, Seal of the Crimson Dragon, symbolic designs and additional markings all go dim. The red gradation portion of Skylara's hair soon goes out, and Chibi Chibi's hair returns to its normal dark pink color. Both Chibi Chibi and Skylara's eyes cease glowing and return to their normal blue and emerald green hues, respectively. "What just happened?" Asks Sherry. "I'm not sure. However, I just found out who Chibi Chibi's parents are." Skylara says. "That's great, who are they and where are they?" Asks Bruno. "One of them is in this room right now." Skylara says. "What do you mean?" Asks Sherry. "I know how crazy this must sound. However, she is my daughter." Skylara says. "What?!" Asks both Bruno and Sherry. "It is true, she is mine and Jack's future daughter. However, she wound up coming here from her own time." Skylara says. "That's impossible." Says Sherry. "But, it does make sense why she's been calling you and Jack 'mama' and 'dada'. Only, how did she get here and why did she come here in the first place?" Bruno asks. "I don't know. That is the one thing she wasn't able to get through to me." Says Skylara. She, Bruno and Sherry then look back up at the object.

The object is white and metallic silver, roughly the shape of a comma, with a round top and a pointy bottom, which it balances on unnaturally as it rotates. Apparently, it's a robot of some kind. But, as it turns to face them head-on, a gruff and sinister royal blue eye can be glimpsed through the casing. The sight of it is a shock…

All three cry out, shaken to the core. "Huaahhh...!" Skylara says. "Aaaoooww...!" Says Bruno. "Ohhh...!" Sherry says.

The unnerving observer zooms in close on someone's eye, and scans it, rapidly sifting data...

Trudge runs into the room that houses the Super Mainframe, with four or five officers at his back. "Whoa! That's bad!" Says Trudge. The towering tip of the Mainframe computer that glittered with LED lights has snapped and come crashing down before it, what's left of the Mainframe computer has seen better days as well, sparking with electricity, the metal ripped apart. "The Mainframe's shorting out!" Trudge says.

Skylara opens her eyes, wincing, and sits up, Chibi Chibi is lying asleep in her arms, with dry tear trails down her cheeks.

Bruno has been unconscious next to her and awoken at the same time. "Whoa, is that...?!" Asks Bruno.

Ellsworth is standing beside them, he holds Sherry, still unconscious, cradled in his arms. They're on a nondescript patch of hard ground, looking across the night-dark sea toward the multicolored lights in the distance. "New Domino City, yes." Ellsworth says.

Skylara and Bruno, with a hand to his head as though it aches, stand up. Chibi Chibi is very much asleep, being gently cradled in Skylara's arms, her head and hands lying peacefully against her chest. "Ellsworth, please tell me that you know what is going on." Says Skylara. "No. There was a blast back at the lab, and I was knocked out. When I came to, we were all just lying here." Ellsworth says. He looks down at Sherry, protectively. "Thank you for your help. If we didn't go after Sherry when we did, who knows how worse things could've turned out." Says Ellsworth. He inclines his head courteously to both of them, and walks away, carrying Sherry.

"This is strange. How did we get away from whatever that creature was back in that weird room?" Skylara asks. "I dunno. But, I'd say the most important thing is that we did manage to escape from 'im." Says Bruno. "Him?" Skylara asks. She looks out toward the City on the other side of the water, and Bruno follows her gaze.

The bright, opulent city lights diffusing across the dark ocean give the scene a soft, unreal quality to it.

The two stand alone before a daunting challenge. _"Sherry came here looking for answers, answers about Yliaster. However, it seems all she found were more questions. Well, now it is our turn to take a crack at answering them!"_ Skylara thinks to herself.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2: Keeping A Promise: Part 1_

A passenger ship crosses the sparkling water. Seagulls drift overhead, then one of them splits off from the group and flaps over the land nearby. It's an orderly park, with neat stone paths spiraling down to the edge of the water, uphill is a cement column, with a plaque at the bottom, a memorial.

Crow stands on the outermost path, the ocean at his back, gazing into space, solemnly, clearly this site is a memorial for him. _"I can't believe how time flies. It's already been three years since you disappeared in that mysterious purple glow, Pearson. I still can't believe that..."_ Crow thinks to himself.

Flashback. A rectangular building sits on a plain of barren ground, turning the sky an ominous violet, with violent fuchsia flames, the roof is completely afire, and the flames are beginning to escape also through the windows and doors. _"...All Sector Security found that night was a digital recording chip with a message from you..."_ Crow thinks to himself, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. Crow is still gazing out at the tower, even as he now sits astride his runner and puts on his helmet. _"...Asking me to watch over the kids you took care of, and to keep your duel disk and runner safe."_ Crow thinks to himself. He starts up his runner, the clock reads 8:56 AM. _"Well, know this, Pearson. That's exactly what I plan on doing. Huh?"_ Crow thinks to himself. His runner is making strange noises, a visual readout onscreen fluctuates up and down, through the spedometer stays at zero, and then a series of exclamation points flashes onscreen. The clock now reads 8:57 AM. _"What's this? Bruno must've been fiddlin' around with my duel runner again! Man, sometimes I don't know if that guy's soupin' it up or shuttin' it down!"_ Crow thinks to himself. He patiently tries starting it again, this time it hums to life smoothly. "Hah. All right, there we go!" Crow says. He salutes one last time toward the memorial, then his helmet visor slides into place. "I promise, Pearson! I won't stop looking for you or let you down!" Says Crow. He rides off toward the passenger ship that just docked at the pier down the hill.

The fountain in the square outside Skylara and the guys' home sparkles in the bright morning sun, little birds perch happily on the rims of its basins. According to the clock on the front of Zora's building, it's about quarter after ten.

Inside, Bruno is typing away rapidly on a laptop keyboard in the garage. "This is so strange." Bruno says. His laptop is connected to Crow's runner by several cables. He stops typing to gaze over at it. "Every time I activate the rear valve booster, the engage stimulator stops working. But, all systems check out fine." Says Bruno. The schematic on his laptop screen highlights each piece of Crow's runner in a different color, showing data on each. It also shows rotating images of the runner from the front, side and top. On all four diagrams, a piece right under the seat lights up red. Exclamation points flash on the screen. "Okay, maybe I spoke too soon." Bruno says. He types a little, and several more pieces light up and data tags appear. The exclamation points flash again. "Ugh!" Says Bruno.

Yusei walks over and joins him. "What's up, Bruno?" Yusei asks. "Well, Crow's duel runner just isn't running right." Says Bruno. "You have any idea why?" Yusei asks. Bruno points to the screen. "I think the problem is coming from this one part." Says Bruno. Yusei crouches to get a better view over his shoulder. "Where'd that come from?" Yusei asks.

Crow walks in through the front door, yawning.

Just as Yusei points to something on the screen and Bruno starts typing again.

Crow runs over to them, dismayed. "Hey, whaddaya doin'?! Why d'you always hafta mess with my duel runner?!" Asks Crow. "I'll tell you why, Crow. Because your duel runner is the only one with this mysterious glitch that none of us can figure out." Bruno says. Crow walks around to look over his shoulder, hands on his hips. "Whaddaya mean, 'glitch'?" Asks Crow. "There's this one part that keeps bugging out, but I can't seem to access it." Bruno says. Crow groans. "Can'tcha just let it be? I don't wantcha to end up messin' things up more. That runner is my baby, I depend on 'er." Says Crow. "We know, Crow. Now then, Bruno! Hand me the hammer, the flame torch, and, ohh, the chainsaw!" Yusei says. The look on Crow's face is hilarious, with horror and dismay. "We'll get to the bottom of this one way or another!" Says Yusei. "Oh." Crow says. He face palms.

He then hears the sound of someone throwing up. "Huh?" Asks Crow. He walks off and up the stairs.

When he reaches the bathroom door, he hears the sound again. Crow knocks on the door. "Skylara, you okay?" Crow asks. "Yes." Says Skylara, through the door. Crow soon hears her throwing up for the third time. "You don't sound okay." Crow says. He hears Skylara retch once more. Crow places a hand on the doorknob. "I'm comin' in, okay." Says Crow. He twists the knob and opens the door, walking into the bathroom.

Skylara is hunched over the toilet, breathing a bit heavily. It doesn't take very long for her to start throwing up again. Crow walks over to Skylara, holds up her hair for her and places his free hand on her back, gently. Skylara glances up at Crow from the corner of her eye. "You don't have to do this for me." Skylara says. "That's what friends are for, Skylara." Says Crow. Skylara soon goes into another retching fit, with him holding her hair out of the way and gently rubbing her back. "That's it, let it all out." Crow says.

It takes a few more minutes before it all stops. Crow soon walks out from the bathroom, with Skylara leaning on him a bit. "Thank you, Crow." Says Skylara. "I don't think I've ever seen you that sick before." Crow says. He places one of his hands on Skylara's forehead. "You don't have a fever. So, that's good." Says Crow. He takes his hand off of Skylara's forehead. "Must've been somethin' you ate." Crow says. Skylara sighs a bit, she knows what's going on with her, but she's not ready to tell anyone else just yet. "Perhaps." Says Skylara. Crow helps her down the stairs and over to her usual throne-styled chair. "You okay now, Skylara?" Crow asks. "Yes, Crow. I'm fine." Says Skylara.

Just then, Trudge and Minako walk into the room through the garage door on the side of the building. "Excuse us, everyone." Trudge says.

"Oh, hey, Trudge. Minako. What's up?" Asks Crow.

Yusei and Bruno are still focused in on the screen. Yusei points at it over Bruno's shoulder.

"Ya got a minute to talk outside, Crow?" Trudge asks.

Crow stares at him, blankly. "Uhh." Says Crow. He looks over at Skylara, who meets his gaze. "It is alright, Crow. Go, I'm fine now." Skylara says. Crow nods, mutely.

A few moments later, the three of them stand outside. The sidewalk beyond the path leading down to the garage door is railed off in matching stone from the lush forest beyond it. Trudge leans on the railing, Crow leans against a lamppost nearby, and Minako sits on a bench. "So, what's this about, Trudge?" Asks Crow. "It's about an old friend of yours. Robert Pearson." Trudge says. "Hey, how in the world did you know I was friends with Pearson?!" Asks Crow. Trudge stops leaning and takes a few steps toward him. "Come, Crow, have you forgotten? I used to work the Satellite beat not so long ago." Trudge says. "But, he's been missing for three years now." Says Crow. "And that's just what we wanna talk to you about. How he disappeared." Minako says. "Whaddaya mean, how?" Asks Crow. "Well, we just recently discovered that before that purple glow appeared, Pearson was dueling someone. And, this is the card his opponent was using." Minako says. She hands Crow a picture of a synchro monster card. "'Crimson Mefist'?" Asks Crow. "We're trying to figure out who it belongs to. Any ideas?" Trudge asks. "Sorry, I'm afraid not. I never seen this card before in my life." Says Crow. "Heh. We figured as much." Trudge says. "He means, it was before your time. You see, a few years back, they tried developing cards that had more than just visual effects. It worked. Only, they soon found the new effects were dangerous, and dealt actual damage to duelists. It was also rumored that these cards had the ability to send people to the netherworld." Says Minako. "The netherworld? Whoa." Crow says. "Naturally, production of these cards stopped immediately. However, there were a few prototypes already released to the dueling public that are still unaccounted for. Crimson Mefist is one of them." Says Minako. "Wait, so then, you're telling me Robert Pearson may've vanished because of this card?!" Crow asks. His voice shakes slightly, he closes his eyes, pained.

Crow envisions a duel in a dark warehouse. Crimson Mefist, a creepy specter, in a dark black tuxedo, appears out of a synchro-summoning ring and a man, in a green jacket, and has unruly dark red hair gasps, in amazement, at the monster his opponent just summoned. Crimson Mefist attacks, shooting little barbs of red fabric, laughing maniacally, and the redheaded man is knocked off his feet, then vanishes right out of the air. The vision ends.

Back to the present. Crow stares at the picture they handed him, frowning. "Yes, Crow." Says Trudge. Crow looks up from the card. "I'm afraid that's precisely what Minako and I are saying. Which means the sooner we know who the owner of this highly dangerous and one-of-a-kind card is, the sooner we'll know what happened to your friend Robert Pearson." Trudge says. Crow stares at the card once more, the sinister fiend that went after his friend. "And the sooner we'll be able to serve justice!" Says Crow.

The cute little birds are still perched on the rims of the sparkling fountain in the square.

At the cafe across the street, Jack sniffs a cup of coffee, appreciatively. "Mmm. Lovely, this almost smells as good as I look!" Jack says. The redheaded waitress stands, with her tray clasped in her arms, anxiously and blushing. "Thanks. I brewed it just for you. Only took four hours."

Just then, Jack's runner pulls to a stop halfway across the square, with Crow riding it. "Gotta borrow your runner, thanks!" Says Crow. He zooms away before Jack can set down his coffee cup.

"What?! Curse you, Crow! If you want something, you're supposed to ask politely, like I do! Why can't you borrow Skylara's, hers is faster than mine anyway?!" Jack asks. "Anything else, Jack?" Jack slams down the cup and snaps at her, despite what he just said. "More coffee!" Says Jack. "Ah!" She then squeaks. "Yes, Sir!"

Crow rides Jack's runner on the freeway, as the late afternoon sun turns the sky orange. _"I gotta find out who Pearson was duelin' on that fateful day. Which means, I gotta talk to those who were closest to 'im."_ Crow thinks to himself.

Crow parks across the street from a big, fancy building somewhere in the city.

A holographic screen above the street divider is just one of many screens playing a multi-screen advertisement. "Come one, come all, to the breathtaking, the mindblowing, The Bolton Building of Bargains, where earning your business, is our business! And where we're proud sponsors of the World Racing Grand Prix!"

Crow takes off his helmet and looks up at the street divider screen.

All the screens show the slick orange-and-white duel runner being advertised from different angles, with different diagnostic overlays, or being driven on a track. "Hey, speaking of racing, why not race on down and test-drive a new duel runner today!"

Crow walks into the fancy lobby with several duel runners on display, looking around, rather bemused. The ad is still playing on holographic screens in the background. "And why not make it the fastest, the fiercest, the brand-new state-of-the-art P-X-V-3-A!"

The orange sunglow falls harshly on a black limo somewhere on New Domino's freeways. Bolton is a businessman, in a grey suit, with rectangular glasses, the only thing out of the ordinary in his appearance is his bright red hair shaved into an eccentric mohawk. He sits in the backseat alone, looking out the window with a tense frown, holding a suitcase on his lap.

Flashback. Bolton sits across a table from a man in traditional Chinese garb, in a poorly-lit, but comfortable, establishment. Bolton is in a much friendlier mood in this flashback than in the present, an assistant stands at his shoulder. The Chinese man examines a Witch of the Black Forest card, with a magnifying monocle. "Nice. Very nice indeed." "I'll say. It's a first-print edition of Witch of the Black Forest." Bolton says. "Impressive. Of course, I would expect no less from the man who runs…" He imitates the ad. "…Bolton's Building of Bargains, where earning your business is…" "Look, can I have the loan or not?" Asks Bolton. "The-loan? Hmhmhmhmhmhmhm! Don't make me laugh! Look, these are all very nice cards, but for the sum you want, I would need quite a bit more collateral than this, and when I say more, what I mean is more valuable. Say, a card such as the mighty, Black-Winged Dragon! Yes, then we'd have a deal!" "Rrgghh." Bolton growls under his breath. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. Bolton is still scowling out the window. _"The Black-Winged Dragon!"_ Bolton thinks to himself. His fists clench over the suitcase on his lap.

In his mind, he can see the shadowy beast and hear its roar, as it radiates deep violet light against the night sky. The vision ends.

Back to the present. As the limo pulls up out front, Crow is being removed from the building by two guards in blue uniforms. "Whaddaya think you're doin', let go a' me, put me down!" Crow says. He gets dumped on the ground. "For the last time, I got business with Bolton!" Says Crow. The two guards wear blue uniforms with 'BBC' logos over the left-side chest pocket, on the left sleeve, and on the hat. One of them speaks. "Sure ya do, and I got dinner plans tonight with Seto Kaiba!"

"Crow?" Bolton asks. "Huh?!" Asks Crow. "That you, old friend?" Bolton asks. Crow turns and looks up, him and his assistant are standing behind him. "I thought so. How've you been?" Asks Bolton. Crow smiles up at him, just as happy to be reunited. "Hah, Bolton!" Crow says. "C'mon, let's go up to my office, pal." Says Bolton.

Bolton's office is spacious, including a wooden drink bar at which Bolton stands with a jug of water.

Crow stands nearby, looking at the gallery of framed photographs on and over the nearby shelf.

The orange sunlight of late afternoon lights up the room through its large plate-glass windows.

"Sorry about downstairs, my staff can be protective. Hm. Care to take a seat?" Bolton asks.

"Nah, too much to look at! You've really done well for yourself, Bolton. Just check out all these awards. No wonder you're the world's number-one duel runner maker. I'm really proud a' ya." Says Crow.

"Well, I can't take all the credit. I have a lot of good people working for me. They're the real heroes. From our most experienced engineers to our youngest factory workers." Bolton says.

Crow picks up a framed picture that shows Bolton standing in a group of teenagers and even a few kids in matching overalls and white shirts, smiling and laughing.

"I owe them everything." Says Bolton. He has by now poured himself a glass of water. "But enough about me, what've you been up to?" Bolton asks.

Crow leans against the bar back first opposite of him, surveying the rest of the room, across from where they're standing is a sitting area with a few armchairs, and across from the shelf with pictures is a lilac sofa and coffee table. "Oh, plenty. I mean, it's been three years." Says Crow. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Bolton says. He hangs his head and stares at the bar. "Last time I saw you was on that terrible, terrible day." Says Bolton.

Flashback. A rectangular building sits on a plain of barren ground, turning the sky an ominous violet, with violent fuchsia flames, the roof is completely afire, and the flames are beginning to escape also through the windows and doors. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "I still can't believe what happened." Bolton says. "Actually, that's kind of why I'm here. I'm trying to find out who caused Pearson to disappear." Says Crow. "Hang on, what do you mean, 'who', Crow? It just happened." Bolton says. "I mean, before the glow appeared, our friend Pearson was dueling against someone, someone who had a very rare card with the power to deliver real damage and send people to the netherworld." Says Crow. He rummages in his vest and pulls out the picture of Crimson Mefist. "I was hopin' that maybe you would know somethin' about that card. Here." Crow says. Bolton gasps, struck silent. The look on his face is a dead giveaway. "You know somethin'! Tell me." Says Crow. Bolton walks out from behind the counter toward the shelf and pictures, evasively.

"Who was it that used this card on Pearson?! Bolton!" Crow says.

Bolton stops walking away, he doesn't face him. Then he looks over his shoulder at Crow, deceptively lighthearted. "Just let it go, Crow." Says Bolton.

"Huh?" Crow asks.

Bolton turns around again and approaches Crow. "Some things are-better left as they are. Besides, nothing we do now can change what happened." Says Bolton. He places both hands on Crow's shoulders, condescending and reassuring. "But, I would like to change your life, for the better. So, why not come work for me in my factory?" Bolton asks. Crow is struck silent for a moment by the offer, then realizes indignantly what he's trying to do. "Bolton, you can't be serious!" Says Crow. "Huh?" Bolton asks. "I just told you we may have a lead in Pearson's disappearance, and you offer me a job?!" Asks Crow. He shrugs Bolton off, angrily, then looks at the pictures on the wall.

Bolton stands with a rejoicing group of men in matching blue overalls in the first picture, the second shows Bolton test-driving an earlier variation of the PXV3A he saw earlier, and the third is a picture of Bolton winning a great big trophy, wearing a racing suit.

"I see how it is. Now that you're some big-shot C-E-O, you don't have time for anything else! You've changed, Bolton! It was stupid a' me to even bother comin' here to see ya! Have a nice life." Crow says. He turns, and strides toward the door. Just as he reaches for the door handle…

"You're right." Says Bolton.

Crow stops, and turns.

Bolton pauses before continuing, as though forcing himself to speak boldly. "My time is valuable, but I do have information!" Bolton says. He points towards Crow. "So, if you want it, you'll have to duel me for it!" Says Bolton.

"Duel you?!" Crow asks.

Bolton turns away and walks toward the window. "That's right. If you beat me, I'll tell you what I know. However, if I win, you have to hand over the Black-Winged Dragon to me." Says Bolton.

"Whaddaya mean, 'Black-Winged Dragon'? Wait, didn't Pearson have a card named that?" Crow asks.

Flashback. Robert Pearson, recognizable by his green jacket and unruly red hair, is in the middle of a duel. "I synchro-summon, my ultimate beast!" The dragon appears, obscured by wispy shadows, its eyes glow red. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "Yeah, he did. But, it vanished that night along with Pearson." Says Crow.

"There's no need to lie, Crow. Before Pearson vanished, I know that he entrusted you with his duel runner, as well as his prized Black-Winged Dragon." Bolton says.

"Yeah, he wanted me to watch after his duel runner. But, that was it." Says Crow.

"Look, Crow. There's something you should know. My company is in serious trouble right now. I simply don't have the cash I need to cover my payroll. So, I need something valuable to give to the bank as collateral for a loan." Bolton says.

"Collateral?" Asks Crow.

"Yes, yes, I know what you're going to say. That 'Pearson would hate the idea of using his beloved card for something like this'." Bolton says. He walks over to the picture wall and pounds it once with a fist, leaning against it, despairing. "And you're right! But, my back is up against the wall, old friend. And if I don't do something, many of my employees will have to be let go." Says Bolton.

"Ya mean lose their jobs?" Crow asks. He looks over at Bolton's picture gallery.

The group photo of smiling men and boys in blue overalls, and another group photo of Bolton with a group of men in orange jumpsuits.

"That's right, Crow. And if they lose their jobs, their families go hungry, and you know how Pearson would feel about that." Says Bolton.

"Huh?" Crow asks.

"So, whaddaya say, Crow?" Asks Bolton. He points again. "Will you agree to duel me? I even have the perfect field for us to compete on." Bolton says. He points to another picture on the wall.

An aerial shot of a small runner course.

"Our Duel Runner Test Course!" Says Bolton. He gazes across the room at Crow, tense in desperation.

Crow clenches his teeth, reluctant to agree.

"Well? What's it gonna be?" Bolton asks.

Around the middle of the day at Martha's house. Yusei, Skylara, Jack and Crow have their runners parked by the side of the building. Crow stays at a distance next to his runner, watching Yusei, Skylara and Jack hang out with the kids. He looks at the Crimson Mefist card picture again.

Meanwhile, Skylara's crouched on the ground looking at something with Taiga, the boy with the purple bandanna, and Yusei is standing over them looking at whatever it is to, and Jack has the nestlings climbing all over him whether he likes it or not. Kokoro, in her light pink dress, is perched on Jack's shoulder, and, to Jack's chagrin, Daichi jumps up and hangs from his arm, trying to reach her. Ginga, in his red jacket, is laughing and Hikari with her pink skirt and blueish bun holder, happily hugs Jack's leg, and Chibi Chibi is playing around with his hair, messing it up a little bit. "Haha, I see you." "Hey, come on." "Your turn." "Tag, you're it!" Skylara looks up, having noticed that Crow isn't joining them. "Crow?" Asks Skylara.

She stands up and walks over to him. "You have been staring at this all day, what is it?" Skylara asks. She picks up the Crimson Mefist picture from the dashboard of Crow's runner. "A card. And one I need to find if I'm ever gonna find out what really happened to Pearson. And I need to find out 'cause, he was a good friend to me. Besides you, that is." Says Crow.

Flashback. The shadowy silhouette of the unfinished Daedalus Bridge arcs upward through the dark, rainy night sky. "You went missing and when I needed a friend most." Crow says, in voice-over. The only light is a warm glow from a cut-out window in a shack made of corrugated metal. Crow leans on the window frame, peering out into the storm. In this flashback, he's fifteen and bears only the tracking dye M on his forehead. He wears the fleece-lined brown vest of the Enforcers. He looks out the window, then aside at the wall, dejected. "See, a few years ago, I was just scrapin' by with some other hard-luck cases." Says Crow, in voice-over. Behind him, three younger kids are playing, their duel cards laid out on the floor. None of them are the kids from the present, though they're about the same age as Crow's nestlings, there's a little boy, in a light blue shirt and yellow vest, with bright red hair, a little girl, in a red overall dress and maroon shirt, and another little boy, with a khaki vest and red shirt. They chatter as they play. "Try that!" "Uh." "Awesome!"

Just then, they hear the sound of an engine. The kids look up from their game and Crow looks out the window in time to see a man get tossed in a puddle on the hard street, the kids are looking out the window now, too, as he struggles to push himself up on his elbows, then slumps to the ground again.

The little boy with the yellow vest is the first out of the shack's curtained door, Crow following. "Daddy? Daddy!" The little boy crouches, worried, beside him. Crow looks beyond them to the two drivers of the van that just pulled up. "I didn't know the guy well, only that he worked day and night to support his kids." Crow says, in voice-over. The two van drivers are smiling, nastily. The taller man carries a closed umbrella over his shoulder. The shorter holds an open umbrella over one shoulder and some paper money in his fist, and he throws the fistful of money, a bill and four small coins, toward the fallen man and his kids. The two little boys are kneeling next to their dad and the little girl is hiding behind Crow. "Here's his pay! 'Course, since he passed out from exhaustion on the factory floor, we had to deduct our travel expenses!" Crow stands, furious, and runs at them. "You punks!" Says Crow. The taller guy whacks him with his folded umbrella, and he bounces off, falling into a puddle and skidding to a stop on his face. The kids gasp. "Crow!" Crow sits up, by now he's scared to try it again. "Mind your manners, you worthless piece a' Satellite slime!" "Let's roll!" "Yeah."

Just as the two thugs are about to climb back into their van, a pair of duel runners come blazing up the street. The nearer of the two is immediately recognizable, it's the duel runner Crow rides in the present. The lightning strikes at their backs, dramatically. Wearing the same helmet Crow wears now, is Robert Pearson.

Crow, still sitting on the wet ground in the heavy rain, is stunned. "Check it out!" Crow says.

The two runners smoothly brake, forming a wall with their headlights between Crow and the van drivers. Pearson pulls off his helmet. One of the van drivers speaks, snidely. "Looks like someone wants to fight!" The taller van driver pulls two duel disks out of the passenger side of the van. "Fine by me! Let's see what'cha got!"

Before long, a duel is raging. "Time for a direct attack! Go, White Warrior-Hail the Iron Hammer!" Says Bolton.

"I play the trap 'Shadow Dance'!"

"It was Pearson, and Bolton was there with 'im." Crow says, in voice-over. Pearson lands on the ground in a crouch, then stands, hovering above him is a legion of Blackwings, Sirocco the Dawn, Bora the Spear, Gale the Whirlwind, Shura the Blue Flame and Fane the Steel Chain. "They and their monsters saved the day." Says Crow, in voice-over.

Crow and the kids are watching, in awe. The rain has stopped by now. "Whoa, that's pretty awesome."

"And last, I'll summon, the synchro monster, Black-Winged Dragon!" Pearson says. His dragon takes the field, raising two huge black pinions with two distinct panels of feathers each, its eyes glow red and it has a few more sets of limbs, each of which form arcs of impressive spikes.

The dragon radiates power, and both van drivers' lifepoints fall to zero on the spot.

As soon as the field clears… "Run for it!" The two van drivers make an ungraceful exit, falling over themselves to get away, dropping a few extra dollar bills as they flee. "You'll pay for th…" He falls on his face, gets up, keeps running. They drive away, leaving Pearson and Bolton standing triumphantly in the street.

Back then, Bolton wore his hair the same way, without his glasses, he looks much younger. Pearson gazes down the street after them, wary and protective, to the kids he just defended, he looks like a superhero. "And that is how I met Robert Pearson, and from then on, he was always around." Says Crow, in voice-over.

Change flashback. The greyish-sepia sunlight of the old Satellite filters down onto an old barnlike building surrounded by scrub grass and a few trees. A poured concrete path slopes up the hill toward the large, wide-open side door. This was the same building that burned the night Pearson disappeared. "Helping teach the kids how to get by, making sure they always had a roof over their heads, and food to eat." Crow says, in voice-over.

Inside, a pair of small hands competently solders on the circuits inside one of the monster card panels on a duel disk. "Teaching them new skills so they would know how to make a living." Says Crow, in voice-over. The little kid in the khaki vest from earlier is working on the monster card panel, his brother in the yellow vest sits next to him soldering the circuits inside the central hub of a duel disk. "I liked what I saw. So, I decided to join up with 'im, help 'im in any way I could." Crow says, in voice-over. Crow watches them work and encourages them, a nervous-looking little girl, with a teal skirt, sticking close to him, while further down the table Pearson encourages two other kids, a girl, in a pink dress with a bow, and a little boy, in blue overalls. Nearby, another little kid, in a yellow sweatshirt, watches Bolton type on a laptop.

Later, Pearson posts a blueprint of a duel runner up on a chalkboard on the old building's wall. Bolton and Crow look on, eagerly. "And it wasn't long until we hatched a plan to open up our own duel runner shop." Says Crow, in voice-over.

Later, Bolton works on the underside of a metal duel runner frame, with the kid in the khaki vest ready to pass him a screwdriver. "A place where our friends could earn a good wage and we could earn a reputation, for makin' the best duel runners around!" Crow says, in voice-over. Crow and the kid in the yellow vest are looking at something on the side of the frame, and Pearson is running electricity from a big battery through another part of it with a pair of handheld contacts connected to positive and negative with cables, protected from the bright sparks by a thick pair of goggles. Crow and the kid share a smile. "But, it wasn't to be." Says Crow, in voice-over.

The violet smoke-filled sky roils, lit an unnatural fuchsia by the flames consuming the old building. The roof is already gone, obscured by the ferocious fire, and it burns from every window and door, including the large side door that was always open.

Crow runs toward the building, across the grass next to the poured cement path. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "After Pearson vanished, I tried my best to take care a' those kids like he wanted." Crow says.

Flashback. Another rainy night, and three Security officers on runners are in hot pursuit of Crow, now riding Pearson's runner like he does now. Crow looks over his shoulder, scared and hunted, a kid in over his head. Both of his cheeks are marked now. Grimly, he looks away from the officers, determined to stick it out no matter what. "Even if I had to beg, borrow, or steal." Says Crow, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. Crow turns to Skylara, uncertain, then pounds the dashboard of his runner lightly with one fist. "Maybe Bolton is right, and I should just forget the past." Crow says.

Flashback. Crow recalls one of the photographs full of smiling men in overalls from Bolton's wall. "After all, everything else he's said and done has been right." Says Crow, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "Think about it. He actually followed through with Pearson's plan and now makes duel runners for a living! He's kept Pearson's dreams alive better than I have!" Crow says. His fist clenches on the dash, he's practically in tears. Skylara places one of her hands on his shoulder. "What are you talking about? You said it yourself, you have taken care of the kids." Says Skylara. Crow looks up at her. "Uh?! I have?" Crow asks. They look over toward the front doorstep.

Crow's five nestlings are waving to them. "Crow!" Ginga cups his hands around his mouth to shout. Daichi is waving both arms. "Whatcha doin' over there!" "Come on over and play with us!" "Yeah, you're fun!" "Uncle Crow!" Says Chibi Chibi.

"Sure, Crow, it may not have been easy. However, just check out the smiles on their faces, you have done a great job taking care of those kids." Skylara says. Crow is stunned silent. "Just like Pearson asked you to. So, there is no reason to think that Bolton is any more right about something than you are." Says Skylara. "Maybe so." Crow says. Then he gets determined, with confidence regained, he has a plan.

Late at night in Skylara and the guys' garage, the fluorescent lights blaze above. "What? Crow's dueling Bolton?" Asks Jack. Him and Skylara are halfway up the stairs.

While Crow, Yusei and Bruno are below working on the former's runner.

Skylara nods. "Mmm-hmm." Skylara says. "But, Crow doesn't even have this so-called Black-Winged Dragon card that Bolton wants to duel for in the first place!" Says Jack. "I know. However, a duel is the only way that Crow can get Bolton to spill what he knows." Skylara says. They look down at their friend.

Crow wearily wipes his brow with one arm, and his face is smutched with dirt and grease, but he keeps on working.

Jack shrugs, smiling, and from his tone, the situation speaks for itself as to what should be done. "Well, guess we have a duel coming up." Says Jack. He kisses Skylara's forehead, lightly, and then walks past her down the stairs toward Crow, Yusei and Bruno.

Skylara smiles after Jack.

Bolton's Duel Runner Test Course, sometime midmorning. The air is tense.

Yusei, Skylara and Jack are watching from a walled and windowed observation booth above the course.

Crow is waiting down on the track, already sitting on his runner, he looks slightly uneasy or resentful.

Opposite of him is Bolton, on a slick new orange and white PXV3A, wearing an equally slick black, gold and orange riding suit. "What took you so long to agree?" Bolton asks.

"Well, let's just say I had to make sure that what I was doing was right." Says Crow.

"You'd better be sure, because there's no going back now." Bolton says. He puts on his helmet. "Setting the 'Speed World Two' field spell." Says Bolton.

Waves of light pulse out from the two runners, turning the sky a bit darker blue. A countdown meter appears above them. Five, four, three, two… "Duel!" Both Crow and Bolton say. Both runners peel out down the track.

 _"And the race for the truth begins!"_ Crow thinks to himself.

Crow and Bolton race neck-and-neck down the first straightaway on the track.

Then Bolton's runner shoots two jets of flame toward the road beneath him, raising his front wheel and allowing him to zoom ahead in an extended wheelie.

Crow gasps.

Bolton stops wheelie-ing shortly before the first curve.

"Huh?" Asks Yusei. "That is some serious speed!" Jack says.

 _"Bolton's not the only one who's packin' some R-P-M's!"_ Crow thinks to himself. He accelerates and kicks in his flying engines, gaining on Bolton, but not enough to keep him from rounding that curve first.

Bolton leans to the inside, at what appears to be too acute an angle, but the mechanisms that shot the flame jets also keep him steady as he races out of the curve, shooting up a cloud of sparks from the road.

Crow follows, sliding to the outside of the track, shooting up sparks from his inside edge as he tries to shave the turn as sharply. "Rrgh!" Crow growls under his breath.

"Since you're lagging, I think I'll draw first. Here goes! First, I summon White Warrior-Fog the Treasured Shield in defense mode!" Says Bolton. White Warrior-Fog the Treasured Shield has 2000 defense points and is a level 4 monster. "I'll then place two face downs and end my turn." Bolton says.

 _"Two thousand defense points? All right, then."_ Crow thinks to himself. He draws. "Since the only monster out right now is on your field, I can summon this card without havin' to release a monster. Show yourself, Blackwing-Sirocco the Dawn!" Says Crow. Blackwing-Sirocco the Dawn has 2000 attack points, 900 defense points, is a level 5 monster and is a dark type monster. "Now, since a Blackwing is out on my field, I'm allowed to summon this guy! Blackwing-Bora the Spear, come on out and stretch those wings, my feathered friend." Crow says. Blackwing-Bora the Spear has 1700 attack points, 800 defense points, is a level 4 monster and is an earth type monster. "And thanks to the special ability of Sirocco the Dawn, I can now channel his power onto Bora the Spear!" Says Crow. Bora gains Sirocco's 2000 attack points, giving him 3700.

"Now Bora's strong enough to take down his White Warrior!" Jack says.

"That's not good enough, Crow. I activate my face down, the trap 'Whiteout'!" Says Bolton. A blizzard blows from the card toward Bora, reducing its attack points back to 1700. "Now, whatever special abilities your monsters are using on any of your cards are cancelled out!" Bolton says.

"Aah!" Says Crow.

"You see, Crow. I know the power of the Blackwings lays in their ability to bond with each other and create an even greater force. So, you give me no choice. In order to win this, I must smash that bond into oblivion. And that's exactly what I've done, because as long as 'Whiteout' is on the field, your Blackwings won't be able to power up each other by even a fraction of a point!" Bolton says.

"That will change Crow's whole gameplan!" Says Skylara.

"I end my turn." Crow says.

"Then I'm up! And I summon White Warrior-Hail the Iron Hammer!" Says Bolton. White Warrior-Hail the Iron Hammer has 1800 attack points, 1600 defense points, is a level 4 monster and is a light type monster.

When White Warrior-Hail the Iron Hammer destroys an opponent's monster in battle, you can destroy another monster on the field.

"Now, I'll activate the trap 'Sacred Arrow'! At this turn's end phase, we both take four hundred points of damage for every one of our monsters that was destroyed during the round!" Bolton says.

"What?! Four hundred points! This is not gonna turn out good for me!" Says Crow.

"Or for Bora the Spear! White Warrior-Hail the Iron Hammer, attack!" Bolton says.

Hail destroys Bora, and Crow's lifepoints decrease to 3900. Little golden bits of dust from the explosion stick to Sirocco.

"And now that my Iron Hammer hammered one of your monsters into oblivion, it can swing away at another one of your feathered friends!" Says Bolton.

Sirocco glows, and explodes out of existence. Crow gasps, losing both of his Blackwings at the same time is a harsh blow.

"And now, since we've reached this turn's end phase, it's time for 'Sacred Arrow' to strike!" Bolton says.

Two golden arrows fly out of the sky above, bending the light slightly as they pass, and both of them strike Crow, simultaneously and painfully. "Aaaaaggghh!"

"Oh, no!" Says Jack. _"Not good. It is starting to look like Bolton hasn't just smashed the bond of the Blackwings into oblivion, but any chance Crow has to win, as well!"_ Skylara thinks to herself.

Bolton zooms ahead around another sharp turn.

Crow follows far behind.

"Your move, and I would make it count if I were you! That is, if you want the truth about what happened to Pearson! Huhuhahahahahahahahaha!" Bolton says.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3: Keeping A Promise: Part 2_

Bolton zooms around a curve.

Crow is tailing closely.

As the duel continues on Bolton's duel runner test course.

"Come at me, Crow! Let's see what you got!" Bolton says.

"I got plenty." Says Crow. _"The question is, can I use any of it? After all, I can't play any of my Blackwings' special abilities so long as that 'Whiteout' trap is sittin' on the field. It's clear what I've gotta do, get rid a' 'Whiteout' with a trap a' my own!"_ Crow thinks to himself. "I place one face down! And then, I'll summon the tuner, Blackwing-Mistral the Silver Shield, in defense mode." Crow says. Blackwing-Mistral the Silver Shield has 1800 defense points and is a level 2 monster. "And that's my turn!" Says Crow.

"Then it's my move! And with it, I'll summon the tuner monster White Warrior-Snow the Rope Dart!" Bolton says. White Warrior-Snow the Rope Dart has 0 attack points and is a level 4 monster. "And for every card on the field, Rope Dart ropes in one hundred additional attack points. So, since there are seven, he powers up by seven hundred! Now, Snow the Rope Dart, attack Crow's lifepoints directly! Go!" Says Bolton.

Crow grits his teeth, his lifepoints sink to 2400.

"Crow!" Yusei says.

"Now, since the direct attack was successful, I can use the ability of Fog the Treasured Shield, and destroy one spell or trap card on your field! Do your thing, Treasured Shield!" Says Bolton. Treasured Shield blows away Crow's face down.

"Nuts! My 'Trap Stun' card is kaput!" Crow says.

"Don't tell me you didn't think I knew what you were planning, Crow! I know your duel strategies all too well!" Says Bolton.

"Crow has to mix it up more! Especially, since he is dueling an old friend!" Skylara says.

"You're up, Crow." Says Bolton.

"Here goes!" Crow says.

And the two runners race onward around another sharp turn.

"I summon Blackwing-Shura the Blue Flame!" Says Crow. Blackwing-Shura the Blue Flame has 1800 attack points and is a level 4 monster. "Now, level-two Mistral the Silver Shield tunes with level-four Shura the Blue Flame." Crow says. Mistral's two stars rotate around Shura and its four stars, a burst of bright green light… "Go and let your wings give flight to a new and even mightier bird of prey! I summon out, Blackwing Armor Master!" Says Crow. Blackwing Armor Master has 2300 attack points and is a level 6 monster.

"Yes! A synchro monster is just what Crow needs!" Jack says.

"Heheheheh." Bolton laughs.

"Blackwing Armor Master now attacks Snow the Rope Dart!" Says Crow.

"I play Rope Dart's ability! It lets me return 'im to my hand whenever he's the target of an attack!" Bolton says.

"All right, then I'll just attack Treasured Shield. And when Blackwing Armor Master attacks a monster in defense mode, he gains five hundred attack points!" Says Crow. Blackwing Armor Master shoots down Treasured Shield. "And since Armor Master's attack points were more than your monster's defense points, you now take the difference as damage!" Crow says.

"Bolton's tuner monster escaped harm, but at least Crow took out something." Says Jack. "Right, because since 'Sacred Arrow' is still on the field. Come this turn's end phase, Bolton will now take an extra four hundred points of damage." Skylara says.

"I place one card face down and end my turn." Says Crow.

Bolton's 'Sacred Arrow' spell activates, and a single shining arrow zooms straight down from the heavens and strikes Bolton, he's down to 2800.

"Sorry, Bolton! You're a friend, but I just gotta win this duel!" Crow says.

Flashback. By now this image is familiar, a rectangular building sits on a plain of barren ground, turning the sky an ominous violet, with violent fuchsia flames, the roof is completely afire, and the flames are beginning to escape also through the windows and doors. "I gotta find out what happened to Pearson!" Says Crow, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. _"And nothin's gonna stop me!"_ Crow thinks to himself.

"My move, and it'll be one to remember! So get ready, old friend! Here we go! Once again, I summon to the field White Warrior-Snow the Rope Dart, in attack mode!" Bolton says. White Warrior-Snow the Rope Dart has 0 attack points and is a level 4 monster. "And next, I'll tune level-four Snow the Rope Dart, with level-four Hail the Iron Hammer!" Says Bolton. Snow's four stars soar high above the dueling track, and Hail rises to meet them. "Now, the power coursing through the veins of these two warriors will become one! I summon forth, the synchro monster, Crimson Mefist!" Bolton says. Crimson Mefist has 2800 attack points and is a level 8 monster. It appears with a small dust devil of green light and a spooky crash of lightning.

Suddenly, the partially cloudy sky seems a bit darker.

"Wait, Crimson Mefist?!" Asks Crow.

"Bolton owns that card?" Skylara asks. "Well, this sure complicates things." Says Jack.

At last, Crow is face-to-creepy-face with the monster that was Pearson's downfall.

Crimson Mefist watches him with bulbous little eyes over a long, beaklike nose, smiling a sort of grimace that reveals more than a few pointy teeth. His skin is a pale, sickly greenish, and triangular ears poke through his grey hair above his tall, black collar and below his pointy, wide-brimmed black hat. He looks like the kind of spooky puppet you might put up on your porch for Halloween, come to life.

"Bolton! Why d'you have this card?! No way! You're the one who was dueling Pearson that night?!" Crow asks.

Bolton peers over his shoulder toward him. Bolton's guilty silence is answer enough.

Crow is heartbroken, and it shows in his voice. "But why? You were his friend! He was someone you admired! Why'd you do it?!" Asks Crow.

"Why else? So I could manufacture duel runners!" Bolton says.

"Duel runners?!" Asks Crow.

"That's right. At first, the plan was for all of us to come work together." Bolton says.

Flashback. The interior of the run-down building Pearson and his friends turned into a duel runner workshop was quiet and dark, the only light coming from outside through the large side-door. The whole warehouse is cluttered with machinery and metal barrels, including, probably, plenty left over from before the place became a runner garage. "You remember. You were part of it. But, what you may not have known, is that one day, a wealthy entrepreneur from the city offered to invest in our little business." Says Bolton, in voice-over. As he speaks, five men in business suits appear in the doorway and enter the dark shop. One of them offers a briefcase full of neatly stacked cash. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "What?! I never heard anything about this!" Crow says.

"That's right." Says Bolton.

Flashback. Pearson's arm pushes the briefcase of money away. "Because Pearson refused!" Bolton says, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. Crow gasps.

Flashback again to the same moment, a white-suited businessman offers the suitcase with four men in dark suits at his back. Pearson nudges the suitcase away, with the back of one hand, gently, turning back to the laptop on the table in front of him. Bolton's standing at his shoulder, surprised and upset, mouth open, as though to demand how Pearson could destroy them by refusing such an offer. "He didn't want to sell off the rights to his designs. His dream was to make duel runners for people like us." Says Bolton, in voice-over. On Pearson's laptop screen is a design schematic for a duel runner.

The five businessmen leave the dark warehouse, leaving Pearson working on his laptop and Bolton standing in the middle of the room looking devastated. "He was afraid these suits would only be interested in making a buck." Bolton says, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "It was an amazing opportunity! And it was completely squandered because of Pearson and his stupid principles! Which is why…" Says Bolton.

Flashback. Bolton removes a large memory drive from the side of Pearson's laptop.

"Bolton?" Pearson asks.

Bolton backs away from the laptop, slowly, holding the memory drive, in an act of rebellion. "Sorry. But, I'm taking the duel runner blueprints. If you wanna stop me, then you'll have to do so by dueling me." Says Bolton. He slots his deck and activates his Battle City model duel disk, facing Pearson, who hasn't moved, across the warehouse. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "As you know, he didn't stop me! I won and was able to take the money and start the company, unimpeded by Pearson! Sure, maybe I had to make a couple of sacrifices along the way, but so what! The bottom line is that I was finally in business!" Bolton says.

"Rrghh!" Crow growls under his breath.

"And you'd better believe I'm going to protect that business no matter what I have to do! That's why, I want you to give me that Black-Winged Dragon and give it to me now! Enough with all your denials! I know you have it! I know Pearson gave it to you!" Says Bolton.

Crow doesn't respond.

"I've explained why I did what I did! So, give me the card! Now!" Bolton says.

Crow's helmet shadows his eyes. "Yeah, you explained it." Says Crow. He then looks up. "But, that don't make it right! Because a' you, Pearson is gone!" Crow says.

"Very well, then, Crow. I'll just have to take the Black-Winged Dragon by defeating you in this duel. Even if it means I must send you away, just like I did Pearson! I activate Crimson Mefist's ability! Now, once per turn, for every card you have on your field, you take three hundred points of damage!" Says Bolton.

"What?!" Crow asks.

Crimson Mefist blasts him.

"Oh, no!" Says Skylara.

Crow rides out of the explosion, trailing smoke for a few feet. His lifepoints are down to 1800.

"Next, Crimson Mefist will attack Blackwing Armor Master with Rancid Rush!" Bolton says. Armor Master gets melted with a blob of nasty acid glop.

Crow's runner shakes and he hangs on, desperately. Now his lifepoints read 1300.

"What's this?!" Asks Jack. "No way, the damage Crow's taking looks like its real!" Yusei says.

"So then it's true, that card does inflict actual damage. And I bet it also sent Pearson to the netherworld!" Says Crow. Crimson Mefist smirks back at him.

"Then the stakes couldn't be higher." Jack says.

"And now, since it's this turn's end phase, 'Sacred Arrow's' effect activates!" Says Bolton.

Another heavenly arrow strikes Crow, reducing his lifepoints further to 900.

"Well, Crow? Have you reconsidered? Give me the card! Things don't need to end the same way for you as they did for Pearson!" Bolton says.

"No way, Bolton! I'm in this thing 'til the very end! I'm in this for Pearson!" Says Crow.

As he rides onward, tableau, around him, his younger self and several other kids gather around Pearson, happily, as he tinkers on a machine.

Crow stands as the last defender of those happy memories. "It's my turn. And I activate the effect of 'Speed World Two'! Go!" Crow says. He drops seven speed counters, leaving him with zero. Crow sharply decelerates, falling behind Bolton by several feet. "Now, by removin' seven speed counters, I'm allowed to draw one card from my deck! Yes! I summon the tuner monster Blackwing-Kochi the Daybreak in defense mode!" Says Crow. Blackwing-Kochi the Daybreak has 1500 defense points and is a level 4 monster. "And I'll throw a face down!" Crow says.

"Not so fast! Crimson Mefist's ability now activates! You see, since you placed a spell or trap card face down, you take three hundred points of damage!" Says Bolton.

"Agh!" Crow says. Mefist fires a blast of pink light, bringing him down to 600 lifepoints. The left wing on Crow's runner snaps off and bounces back along the track, flaming.

"Okay, now we know the damage that thing gives is real." Says Yusei. "Yeah, even Crow's duel runner is getting dinged up!" Jack says.

"Surrender now, Crow! Surrender or vanish forever!" Says Bolton.

"No way, no how. I won't quit!" Crow says.

"Fine, then. You'll learn the hard way. It's my turn! First, due to Mefist's ability, you take three hundred points of damage for each card on your field. You have three. So, that's nine hundred pulverizing points!" Says Bolton.

"Look out!" Skylara says.

"I play the trap, 'Down Burst'! Now, all face-up spell and trap cards that are out on your field do an about-face and become face down!" Says Crow.

"They what?!" Bolton asks.

"Then, I'll play another trap. 'Delta Crow-Anti Reverse'! Now, since a Blackwing monster is face-up on my field, all face down spell and trap cards on your field are destroyed! So, those two you just flipped are finished! And now that I'm two trap cards lighter, the damage I take is gonna be reduced to just three hundred." Says Crow. His lifepoints get blasted down to 300, but he's still hanging on. Something explodes on the side of his runner, and a schematic briefly appears onscreen highlighting the same small, rectangular part of the runner beneath the seat that has been causing Crow's runner to act strangely.

"The best part is, now that 'Whiteout' is destroyed! The bond between Crow's Blackwings is restored!" Skylara says.

"Those were some pretty clever moves. Now, allow me to show you some of my own. And I'll start by summoning forth yet another of my White Warriors! Behold! Sleet, the Morning Star!" Says Bolton. White Warrior-Sleet the Morning Star has 0 attack points and is a level 1 monster. "But, this sleet won't be sticking! Because when he's released, and Crimson Mefist destroys a monster, you take half that monster's points as damage!" Bolton says.

"But that means, if Crimson Mefist destroys Kochi! Crow takes fourteen hundred points of damage and loses the duel!" Says Yusei.

"Let 'im have it, Crimson Mefist. Attack with Rancid Rush!" Bolton says.

"Oh no!" Says Jack.

"I don't think so! By sendin' Blackwing-Jetstream the Blue Sky from my hand to the graveyard, I can negate the destruction of Kochi!" Crow says.

"Lucky!" Says Bolton.

"Whoa, talk about close!" Jack says.

The attack dissipates as it passes Crow.

"Struggle all you like, Crow! But, your defeat is certain! I end with a face down!" Says Bolton.

"It's my turn." Crow says. _"But if I play a face down, I'll end up taking damage and losing the duel! To stand a chance, I gotta somehow take down that Crimson Mefist!"_ Crow thinks to himself.

"Crow!"

"Huh?!" Asks Crow.

"Up here, in the control tower!"

Crow looks up.

In the windows above, next to Yusei, Skylara and Jack. Kokoro, Daichi, Hikari, Taiga and Chibi Chibi are holding up drawings of Crow on his runner, cheering for him. Ginga is speaking over the loudspeaker on the control console, with Bruno nearby to assist. "Just wanted to letcha know, all us kids are behind ya!" "Go, Crow!" "You can do it!" "We're with you all the way, Crow!" "Crow!" "Keep going!" "Go, Uncle Crow!" Chibi Chibi says.

"Thanks, guys." Says Crow.

Flashback. Skylara and Crow are standing by the latter's runner in Martha's yard. "What are you talking about? You said it yourself. You have taken care of the kids." Skylara says. "Uh? I have?" Asks Crow.

"Crow!"

They look over toward the house.

The five nestlings are calling and waving to them. "Come on over here! We wanna play!"

"Sure, Crow, it may not have been easy. However, just check out the smiles on their faces, you have done a great job taking care of those kids." Skylara says. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. The nestlings are still cheering in the window.

"Those kids! I gotta win this duel! Not just for Pearson, but I gotta win it for all of them, too!" Says Crow. His Sign begins to glow red on his arm. Crow gasps, with surprise. "My mark's lit up!" Crow says. A text box pops up on his screen, fills with a series of asterisks, and then the screen displays that mysteriously ailing part of his runner again, zooms in on it, and from it appears a synchro monster card, concealed deep within his runner until the time was right.

"Wha...!" Says Bruno. "Ohh!" "Oh, it's a card!" Bruno says. "Huh?" Asks Yusei. Various holographic screens are popping up around the control tower windows, all of them showing the same image as the one on Crow's runner screen. "What's happening? Wait..." Yusei says. He looks closer at the card on the big screen, the dark-feathered, beaked dragon fans red and black wings in two great upward arcs. "No way, is that?" Asks Yusei.

Tears form at the corner of Crow's eyes. "The Black-Winged Dragon! Pearson gave me this card to protect the kids he cared for so much! So, that's exactly what I'm gonna do! My turn, and I summon Blackwing-Bora the Spear!" Crow says. Blackwing-Bora the Spear has 1700 attack points and is a level 4 monster. "Next, level-four Kochi the Daybreak tunes with level-four Bora the Spear!" Says Crow. Bora soars through the green rings formed by Kochi's four stars. "Now, by the power of a synchro-summoning, these two Blackwings will beat as one! Soar to power!" Crow says. At long last, the mighty dragon appears, in the bright light of the synchro-summon, black feathers fan through the air. Its eyes glow Signer-mark red against its silhouette as it lifts its head and roars. "Black-Winged Dragon!" Says Crow. Black feathers are scattering through the air, and its long, wavy grey-feathered tail whips behind it. The dragon's mighty wings are blades of white, each with a spine of black.

Yusei, Skylara and Jack's Signs light up on their arms. "My mark!" Yusei says. "Mine, too!" Says Jack. The symbolic designs, additional markings and Seal of the Crimson Dragon are all glowing crimson red along Skylara's body. Skylara's eyes and red gradation portion of her hair are also flaring in crimson red. They look up at the screen, which now shows the Black-Winged Dragon as it takes the field. "Could this be the Signers' sixth dragon?" Skylara asks, her voice menacing and echoic.

The dragon's bright-white-bladed wings catch the sunlight, its elegant grey-feathered tail wafts in the breeze. Black-Winged Dragon has taken the field.

Black-Winged Dragon is a level-eight dragon-type monster, with twenty-eight-hundred attack points and sixteen-hundred defense points.

"So, the Black-Winged Dragon's finally here. Too little, too late, I'm afraid. I activate the trap, 'Synchro Rivalry'! Now, on the turn you summon a synchro monster, like that dragon, none of the monsters on my field can be destroyed in battle!" Says Bolton.

"We'll see about that! I play 'Angel Baton'! Now, since I have two or more speed counters, I get to draw two cards from my deck! But, I must send one card in my hand to the graveyard! So, I send Blackwing-Zephyrus the Elite to the grave, and then place one card face down!" Crow says.

"Has Crow lost it?! If he does that, that means his turn is over and then that means..." Says Jack.

"Crimson Mefist's ability activates! Now, you take three hundred points of damage for every spell or trap card you have face down!" Bolton says. Crimson Mefist launches a bright pink fireball, right at Crow! "I told you your defeat was certain! And now, it will come to pass!" Says Bolton.

"Look out, Crow!" All five nestlings say.

The pink blast hits Black-Winged Dragon right in the chest, and stops! "Actually Black-Winged Dragon's looking out for me!" Says Crow.

Yusei, Skylara and Jack gasp.

"What?!" Bolton asks.

"I play his ability! Now, I can negate non-battle damage by lowerin' Black-Winged Dragon's attack points by however much that damage was! In this case, three hundred!" Says Crow. Black-Winged Dragon absorbs the pink light, and its attack points decrease from 2800 to 2500.

"No way! That was gonna be the end for you!" Bolton says.

"Not anymore." Says Crow. The smallest of the large, white feathers that form the dragon's wings, turns black with a glowing red edge. "And now, by takin' four hundred points of damage and returning one card on my field to my hand, I'm allowed to summon Blackwing-Zephyrus the Elite from my graveyard!" Crow says. Blackwing-Zephyrus the Elite has 1600 attack points and is a level 4 monster. Zephyrus appears, and fires a beam of red light from his chest, it arcs high into the air, and crashes down on Black-Winged Dragon's back. "But, instead of taking that four hundred points of damage, I'll just use my Dragon's ability again!" Says Crow.

"Cool, it's like his bodyguard." Ginga says.

"Are you done, Crow?!" Asks Bolton.

"Not even close, Bolton! 'Cause when Zephyrus is summoned due to this ability, by placing a card face down it's destroyed! And since I placed a card face down, I now take damage from Crimson Mefist's ability! Only, thanks once again to my Dragon's ability, I don't!" Crow says. Black-Winged Dragon takes another blast to the chest from Crimson Mefist and absorbs it, its attack points decrease to 1800 and more of its feathers turn black and red.

"Rrrggghhh!" Bolton growls under his breath.

"Then by returnin' another card on my field to my hand, I can summon Zephyrus the Elite all over again!" Says Crow. Blackwing-Zephyrus the Elite has 1600 attack points and is a level 4 monster. Zephyrus blasts Black-Winged Dragon in the back again, bringing it down to 1400 attack points. "And, as before, I'll then place a card face down to destroy Zephyrus!" Crow says. Another of the white feathers changes to black and red.

"Is it just me, or is that dragon's wings slowly turning black?" Asks Jack. "Yes, more so with every hit it takes." Skylara says.

"Look, Crow. Whaddaya tryin' to prove?" Bolton asks.

"I'll tell ya what, that Pearson was just like his Dragon. He wouldn't hesitate to take the hits for all of us, over and over again." Says Crow.

As he speaks, a series of flashback still shots appear at his shoulder. In the first, three kids watch over Pearson's shoulders, as he works on a machine. "'Cause the most important thing to him was us." Crow says, in voice-over.

In the second still shot, four little kids, three of the same and one more, gather around, as Pearson shows them how he attaches what he was working on to a larger machine. "That's why he didn't take the money back then." Says Crow, in voice-over.

In the third still shot, Pearson sits on the floor next to what just got put together, and a few more kids have joined the ones seen before and are examining the machine from different angles and seeing how it fits together. "Because he didn't care about getting rich and becomin' some hotshot businessman!" Crow says, in voice-over.

The fourth and final still shot sees all of the kids from the previous three working together, happily, building machines the way Pearson taught them. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "'Cause he wasn't anything like you, Bolton!" Says Crow.

Bolton gasps, stricken with guilt, and stares up at Black-Winged Dragon, as it roars its pain, its attack points fall yet again to 1100. "No, but I just wanted to make a few good duel runners!" Bolton says.

"Did you?! Or were you in it for yourself?!" Asks Crow.

Flashback. Crow stands with Pearson, jaw hanging open, as Pearson cheerfully gestures toward the work table, at which the kids are busy working on machines together. "You say you care for your workers, but I've seen what true caring is! I've seen it in Pearson's eyes, and the eyes of all the children he looked after! If he took that money, where would that have left them?" Crow asks, in voice-over. They watch the ten kids, none older than ten and some much younger, girls and boys in equal proportion, all very confident and happy as apprentice mechanics. "Without a future! Without hope!" Says Crow, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. Bolton is getting more and more upset as Crow continues, his voice full of emotion.

Zephyrus the Elite appears on the field again and blasts Black-Winged Dragon again. "Time and time again, Pearson put everyone else first and himself last!" Crow says. Zephyrus' blast strikes Black-Winged Dragon between the shoulders, further humbling it to 700 attack points. "Just like this dragon is doin' for me now. Over and over he sacrificed himself!" Says Crow. Zephyrus vanishes from his field, the cycle is about to repeat again. Black-Winged Dragon cries out again, as its attack points then fall from 700 to 400.

"Huah!"

"And he even did it when it meant he could lose everything. He did it when you stood in his way." Crow says.

Flashback overlays what's happening in the present, half-opaque. Pearson coaches a trio of kids, as they work on duel disks at the work table. "He did it for the children, and he ended up paying the ultimate price!" Says Crow, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. Black-Winged Dragon roars his agony to the sky, only two white feathers on each wing remain, and the rest is deep black and glowing, angry red. "And that's why…" Crow says. Another blast arcs into the air and smites Black-Winged Dragon in the back. "...He loved this card!" Says Crow. The dragon screams again, as its attack points decrease all the way to 0, every one of its wings is glowing black and red. "Because it's willing to pay the ultimate price, too!" Crow says.

"No! Black-Winged Dragon's outta points!" Says Ginga. The mighty dragon, humbled by adversity, glides slowly past the control tower window before their eyes, its wings burn red. "Does that means he's...?" Ginga asks.

Bolton stares up at the dragon, horrified, humbled and lost. What now?

"Bolton! Pearson vanished after his duel with you! But, through the power of this dragon, he's still protecting us, even from the Netherworld!" Says Crow, ominously. As he speaks this last, Black-Winged Dragon's eyes shine with a new spark of fire, and glittering black and red power gathers between its pincered legs. "I play Black-Winged Dragon's ability! Now, the attack points of my dragon are returned to their full amount, and the attack points of your monster's decrease by all the damage he negated! Black-Winged Burst! Go!" Crow says. Crimson Mefist grows even paler, if that's possible. Black-Winged Dragon is radiating a deep blue glow, and more power is building between its claws. Every one of its black-edged feathers glows crimson. It then unleashes a devastating maelstrom of wind.

Mefist freaks out and Black-Winged Dragon roars, triumphantly, as their points reverse.

Now Mefist is the monster with no points.

"It's a complete role-reversal! Now, Black-Winged Dragon has all the power and Crimson Mefist has none!" Says Jack.

"Now, Black-Winged Dragon! Attack Crimson Mefist with Shadow Squall Blast!" Crow says.

Crimson Mefist is facing down a red and black fireball the width of the entire track, he doesn't stand a chance.

Bolton glances up over his shoulder, bitterly, and then looks away, dejected, as the crimson fire overtakes him. The blast turns the air all around it smoldering orange and red. Bolton's lifepoints fall to 0.

The nestlings cheer. "Way to go, Crow, you're the best!" "Toldja you could do it!" "Yeah!" "Well done." Says Skylara.

The steam vents on the front of Bolton's runner burst open, giving his runner a tail of fog as he skids to the side and brakes.

Crow does the same.

Bolton removes his helmet, quietly, and looks up at the mighty dragon, at all that remains of the old friend he betrayed. "Pearson, you were right all along." Bolton says.

Black-Winged Dragon gazes back at him, calmly, its bushy hair and the kindness in its eyes does seem to recall the image of Robert Pearson. It growls, softly.

"And I was wrong, I'm sorry for everything I did to you. From this point forward, things will change." Says Bolton. He hangs his head, defeated.

Crow regards him, neither upset nor much impressed. _"Let's hope."_ Crow thinks to himself.

The seagulls cry as they ride the breeze far above the boat.

One soars over toward the park with the tall obelisk monument, where we again find Crow, this time accompanied by Yusei, Skylara and Jack. They stand, quietly, as Crow kneels on one of the pathways that spiral out from the obelisk. "Pearson, just know that wherever you are, things 'round here have finally been set straight." Says Crow. He looks at the Black-Winged Dragon card in his hand. "And when we find a way to get you back from the netherworld, I'll have Black-Winged Dragon waitin' for ya." Crow says. He sobs quietly, grieving. "Always." Says Crow.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4: Natural Instincts: Part 1_

The sunny blue sky is reflected on the glass facade of Bolton's Building of Bargains.

Inside, a duel runner engine is moved through the air on a crane.

"Gentlemen and lady, may I present the latest and greatest in duel runner modifications." Skylara, Yusei, Crow, Bruno and Jack are watching from the factory floor, with the man in a business suit, who's been talking to them. Skylara, Yusei and Jack look serious, as though waiting to make sure this works before they get their hopes up. Crow is smiling, and Bruno is smiling more. "Is that it? Is that our engine design?!" Bruno asks. "It is, except that we increased your engine's rotation radius, which will boost the N-R-D output by fifty percent. This is our masterpiece, it's all downhill from here."

On a raised platform in front of them, their runners are under construction. Two workers in orange guide the engine on the crane into place on Yusei's runner, while two more do the same with Jack's.

"We've already installed the O-S program you five designed, and ran a battery of tests! Check out these results, just look at that acceleration rate!" They examine a bank of computer screens nearby, which show schematics and detailed graphs of each runner and its performance. "Whoa." Says Crow. "So whaddaya think, Bruno? Does the real thing meet your expectations?" Yusei asks. "Mmm-hmm." Says Bruno. Crow turns to their guide in the suit. "How were you guys able to work on this thing, considering your president now has 'criminal' on his resume?" Crow asks. The guy in the suit looks slightly uncomfortable, but also like this question was to be expected. "Obviously, our company is in the midst of a little P-R crisis right now! But, industrious minds never sleep, and our president wanted us to build this incredible engine!" "What's going to happen to your president? Are they going to ship Bolton off to the slammer?" Asks Jack. The man in the suit looks even sadder. "I can't discuss the particulars at this moment. But, I'm afraid we won't be seeing our president for a long time."

Flashback. This was the same man in the suit who stood at Bolton's shoulder as he attempted to bargain for a loan, and when Bolton returned to the company that day to find his old friend Crow getting thrown out of the building. "That being said, our president's passion for duel runners lives on!" The pictures on Bolton's office wall show him standing in groups of smiling workers. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. They watch the guys in orange continue to reassemble Skylara's, Yusei's, Jack's and Crow's runners. "And in his honor, this company will continue to pursue and develop the latest in cutting-edge duel runner engineering!" "Good luck." Crow says. "Thank you for all that you have done. You have brought us one step closer to realizing our dream." Says Skylara. She extends a hand, the other man hesitates, then returns the handshake.

At long last, the four runners are complete, in addition to new internal hardware, the runners' exteriors have gotten slightly revamped also. Jack's all-white runner now has blue and yellow casing around its headlights. Skylara's black runner is a little more shiner and sleeker than it was, if at all possible, and it also has dark blue casing all the way around the sides of the runner and around the headlights. Yusei's red runner had some white casing before, but now has more. The side of its nose prominently displays a '6D's' logo. Crow's is further over, offscreen. "Those duel runners are awesome!" Crow says.

Leo and Luna happily run through the square and up to the front door of Zora's building. "Yusei!" Says Leo. He shoves both doors wide open, not even slowing down, and the twins stop on the landing at the top of the ramp. "Akiza told us the new duel runners are done, is it true?!" Leo asks.

"Forget the runners, check out these threads!" Says Crow. His and Yusei's new riding costumes are slight variations of their usual looks, but a bit sportier-looking and a bit more tightly-fitting, quite snazzy, and both have '6D's' logo badges on their chests. "Custom-designed and hand-crafted vintage riding outfits!" Crow says. He winks. "Brought to you by yours truly!" Says Crow.

"Whoa!" Both Leo and Luna says. They join the group, aside from Yusei and Crow, Akiza, Bruno, Chibi Chibi and Jack are also there. "Very nice!" Says Luna. "You guys look awesome!" Leo says. "I think you look absurd." Says Jack. His riding costume hasn't changed, except now he, also, wears a '6D's' logo badge. "You look less like pro circuit turbo-duelists and more like a couple of rodeo clowns!" Jack says. "Whaddayou talkin' about, Jack?! I modeled these outfits after yours!" Says Crow. "My outfit is bursting with style and substance! You failed to capture the many subtle nuances that give it its true flair!" Jack says. Just as him and Crow are about to go at it, they both stop when Yusei and the others aren't paying much attention to them anymore. The silence is broken by the sound of two heels touching the floor. Both Crow and Jack turn towards where the sound came from.

Skylara's new riding costume, a sleek, skin-tight, black riding suit, with dark blue armor plates, which shows her cleavage, and thigh-high, black, heeled boots, with the left boot still having a belt wrapped twice around her thigh. Skylara has a small portion of her raven black, red gradated hair tied back.

"Whoa, Skylara, lookin' good." Says Crow. "Now, that's what I call bursting with style and substance. Leave it to my girl to capture the many nuances of true flair." Jack says. "I really like it. It suits you nicely, sis." Says Yusei.

Skylara walks over to the group, standing next to Jack, who wraps one of his arms around her waist. "Thanks for your enthusiastic support, boys." Skylara says. Chibi Chibi goes over to stand before her and Jack. "Mama! Dada!" Says Chibi Chibi. Skylara picks her up and holds her in her arms. "So, is Chibi Chibi really from the future then?" Leo asks. "Well, from what she shared to me from her memories, it seems that way." Says Skylara. "So, she really is yours and Jack's future daughter?" Luna asks. "Well, she does call them 'mama' and 'dada'. So, that would explain it." Says Bruno. "The only question is, why did she come here?" Akiza asks. "That was one of the things that I wasn't able to see in her memories or thoughts. The only things I was able to find out was that Jack and I are her parents, that she is from the future and that she does have traces of the Crimson Dragon's essence." Says Skylara. "Future daughter or not, she's still our kid. I'll keep her safe, no matter what." Jack says. He lightly pats Chibi Chibi's head, in a fatherly gesture. Chibi Chibi smiles up at Jack. "Dada." Says Chibi Chibi, cutely. She then smiles up at Skylara, who's still holding her in her arms. "Mama." Chibi Chibi says, cutely. "So, if she recognizes Jack and Skylara as her parents. Does she recognize us from her time, too?" Asks Leo. "I didn't see any memories of you or Luna in her thoughts. She only showed me what she wanted me to see. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that you two aren't in her life." Skylara says. "Hey, Chibi Chibi. Do you know any of us from your time other than your mom and dad?" Asks Leo. "Leo, don't try pressuring her into remembering things. She is still quite young yet, after all." Luna says, chiding. Chibi Chibi giggles, innocently. "Leo in trouble from Luna." Says Chibi Chibi. "Ha, so she does know us, after all. I never doubted it for a second." Leo says. Luna sighs, lightly. "Okay. So, she knows Leo and Luna. That's not a total shocker." Says Crow. "Uncle Crow." Chibi Chibi says, cutely. "Wait, did she say 'uncle'?" Asks Crow. "Yeah, real shocker there." Jack says. Chibi Chibi looks over at Yusei. "Uncle Yusei." Says Chibi Chibi, cutely. Yusei smiles. Chibi Chibi then brings her attention to Akiza. "Auntie Akiza." Chibi Chibi says, with a smile. "Auntie? Me?" Asks Akiza, surprised. "That is what she said." Skylara says. She then places Chibi Chibi down, who then runs over to play with her toys.

They've noticed the logo badges on Yusei, Crow, Jack and Skylara's costumes. "Umm, 'Six-D's'? Is that like the team name?" Asks Luna. "Yeah." Yusei says. "If ya don't like it, blame Jack! He insisted on Six-D's!" Says Crow. "Oh right, because 'The Super Radical Friendly Alliance Team' was the greatest name ever!" Jack says. "I think Six-D's sounds kinda cool, but what's it mean?" Asks Leo. "I was wondering that myself. But, I think I got it." Bruno says. He counts on his fingers. "One 'D' stands for 'dashing', another for 'dangerous', there's 'daring' of course, 'destructive', and the last one us, uhmmm! Well, I'm an engine designer, so that must be it!" Says Bruno. He's soon seeing stars.

Jack is not in the mood for clowning around. "You fool, Six-D's is about one thing!" Jack says. He shows them all the Right-Wing Sign on his right arm. "This, right here!" Says Jack. "So, you're named after..." Luna says. She pulls up her sleeve. "…our marks?" Asks Luna. "That is right. We are all connected by the mark of the Crimson Dragon, that is what ties us all together." Skylara says. Leo looks at his own, empty right arm. "I don't have one of those marks." Says Leo. He then turns to Luna. "But hey, come to think of it, your mark is the reason I met everyone. So, in that sense, I'm connected through you." Leo says. "Mmm-hmm." Says Luna. "That, and you and Luna count as one person." Jack says. "Huh?!" Asks both Leo and Luna. "What about me, I-I don't have anything to do with any dragon! How 'bout we name the team 'Bruno and the Six-D's', because you're already the…" Bruno says. And he sees more stars.

"I think it's a really great name. It's perfect." Says Akiza, addressing Yusei. "Thanks." Yusei says. The six Signers, each one's right hand and arm bare, put their hands to the center on top of each other, then Leo and Bruno add their hands on top. "Hands in, people. Starting right here and right now, we're Team Six-D's!" Says Yusei. Everyone explodes the hands, and cheers. "Yeah!"

In New Domino, mid-day, at a public practice track that has apparently been taken over by the WRGP for the day. Skylara and Akiza have dueled here before, a while back. The central building has several practice tracks connected to it, looping in and out of portals that lead indoors, and they all converge at the bottom level to pass a sloped area with bleachers for spectators before splitting off again into separate tracks. A loudspeaker voice warns the next racing team that their track time is about to start. "Team Extreme to Practice Lane Two! Team Extreme to Practice Lane Two!"

A gloved hand revs a runner grip. A graph on the screen spikes up then back down. A booted foot taps a runner pedal, and a runner zooms away. This isn't anyone we know.

Inside the building there are dozens of other riders. Nearby, mechanics seem to be worrying over a few other runners.

Skylara, who's holding Chibi Chibi in her arms, Yusei, Jack, Crow, Akiza, the twins and Bruno, Team 6D's, stand before a video screen on the wall. "So, uh, what are we looking at?" Leo asks. "The main tournament callboard. Looks like they've already decided the matchups for the preliminary rounds." Says Yusei. "Isn't it supposed to look like a bracket thing?" Luna asks. "This is for the Prelims. And there are thirty-two teams." Says Akiza.

As she explains, the graphics on the callboard illustrate her point. It displays eight sets of five lines each, numbered one through eight. In each group, two of the five bars light up. "So, they've divided those teams into eight divisions. The top two teams from each division will go on to duel in the Finals. And that takes on the tournament format." Akiza says. The highlighted bars in each of the eight groups reshuffle themselves into eight mixed pairs of two, which then get bracket lines attached to them. After the Prelims, there will be one round of eight duels, then one of four, then one of two, and then the final duel of the tournament. "You mean the bracket thingy?" Asks Luna. "Yeah. The bracket thingy." Akiza says. "With only four teams competing in each division, as long as we win twice, we'll be heading into the Finals." Says Bruno. "Nice, so then, who's lucky enough to be number one on our 'to-beat' list?" Leo asks. "Looks like, Team Unicorn." Says Bruno. "Who's Team Unicorn?" Luna asks. "We met 'em at that party?" Asks Leo.

Flashback. Three young men, in matching blue jumpsuits, with a unicorn emblem on the chest, smile and wave politely at the flashbulbs. The one of the three standing in the center has a distinctive point sticking out of the front of his red hairdo. "Oh, right, I remember now! The guy with the funny pointy hair!" Luna says, in voice-over. "Yeah!" Says Leo, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

"That guy with the funny pointy hair led his team to victory in the Atlantis Tournament last year. They are the odds-on favorite to win this whole thing." Skylara says. "Ohh, why did they have to go up with the top team in the same preliminary block as us?" Asks Leo. "Hmph. They may be considered the best right now, but once the world gets a taste of Team Six-D's, things're gonna change real fast!" Jack says. "Besides, if Team Unicorn is really that good, we're gonna have to duel them sooner or later." Says Yusei. "Yeah, but it would've been nice to have an easy team first." Crow says. "Exactly, like a warm-up or something!" Says Leo. "Speaking of warm-ups, our practice lane is about to open up." Bruno says. "Right." Says Skylara. She hands Chibi Chibi over to Akiza, who takes her and holds her in her arms. "Come on, boys. Let's do this." Skylara says. She, Yusei, Jack and Crow leave to get ready.

"You wanna go to the mall or see a movie?" Asks Luna, addressing Akiza. "And miss the maiden voyage? No way, let's go up and watch from the stands!" Akiza says. "Yeah!" Says both Leo and Luna.

Soon, the five of them hurry to a stop at the top of the stands. Few other people are seated there, so they have their pick of seats. The voice sounds over the loudspeaker again. "Team Six-D's to Practice Lane Two, for your scheduled practice run. Team Extreme, please clear the lane. Team Six-D's to Practice Lane Two, for your scheduled practice run."

Below, the last of three runners is pulling into the gate in the center of the track beside the stands, getting ready to go back inside. Team Extreme's runners are blue, green and lilac, respectively.

Luna looks over and spots… "Uh, hey, is that Trudge down there?" Luna asks.

It sure is, standing close to the bleachers with his Security runner beside him and his helmet under one arm.

"Hey, Trudge!" Says Leo.

"Hm?" Trudge asks. He turns, as they walk down the stairs to stand next to him on the other side of the wall, and smiles. "The peanut gallery! You guys hangin' around to root for Yusei, Skylara, Jack and Crow?" Asks Trudge. "That's right!" Luna says. "What're you doing here, Trudge? Is there a problem?" Asks Leo. "Look for yourself." Trudge says. They look out at the looping tracks, with individual runners zooming along them. "All those different lanes, and different teams coming in and out to practice, and you can't use autopilot in this tournament. The whole situation is a runner wreck just waiting to happen. We drew straws at the station to see who had to come down here and wait for the big bang, and I drew the short straw. So, here I am, doing my civic duty." Says Trudge. "Oh." Luna says. "Bummer, man." Says Leo. "Check it out! Skylara and the boys've been set loose!" Akiza says, excitedly.

Jack is the first to race through the open gateway.

Then Skylara.

Then Crow.

And finally Yusei.

Their friends wave and cheer, as they zoom past the stands, and Trudge raises a hand, in greeting, with a small smile.

Yusei replies to the cheers, with a salute, as he drives by.

The four riders of Team 6D's race out onto the track on their beautiful, powerful new runners, the rooftops of the city flying by beneath them.

"The gearshift is smooth!" Says Jack.

"This acceleration is incredible!" Skylara says.

"And the torque is great!" Says Yusei.

They glide around another curve, the edge of the track glitters in the approaching sunset. It's a beautiful moment to be out riding, and a triumphant moment for the new racing team.

As Crow rides, he remembers the faces of his two old friends. _"Pearson. Bolton. Who'd have thought that when we built this runner that one day, I'd be here? Pearson, I'm gonna win this thing, for you. For our dreams!"_ Crow thinks to himself.

"All right, what do you guys say we push these new bad boys to the edge!" Skylara says.

"Yeah!" Says Yusei, Jack and Crow.

The four riders of Team 6D's glide along the practice track.

The spectators can watch them on a holographic screen over the bleachers. "Well, Skylara and the guys seem to be enjoying themselves." Trudge says. "Yeah, we completely revamped their engines. So, their duel runners are working on a whole new level." Says Bruno. "Ah, then I look forward to dueling them again!" Trudge says. That gets Bruno and Akiza's attention right away. "Wait, dueling them again?" Asks Bruno. "Oh, wouldja look at the time!" Trudge says. Bruno and Akiza share a dubious look. "Boy, I gotta get goin'! There's, uh, rounds to make, and, uh, parking garages to patrol, and tickets to write up. And donuts to…" Says Trudge. Bruno and the twins run over to him, as he starts up his runner. "Hang on, Trudge. What did you mean dueling them again? Are you dueling in the tournament?" Bruno asks. Trudge waves over his shoulder, with a nervous, forced grin. "Eh-heh, all right, guys! See ya later! Stay safe!" Says Trudge. He rides away, leaving them staring after him.

The sky grows a bit more orange, as Team 6Ds' four runners cruise the track.

Skylara's runner screen reads 5:17 PM and 230 km/h, when she hears a voice over her radio. "Tower to Six-D's, you have two minutes remaining." "Did you copy that, guys? Our time is up. Let's pull off when we get to the exit ramp." Skylara says.

"Whaddayou talkin' about, we've got two minutes! That's plenty a' time to burn another lap with these new engines!" Says Crow. He speeds up and leaves his teammates behind.

"Aw, come on, Crow!" Yusei says.

"We'll have to keep him on a leash." Says Jack.

"Aw, man, I am lovin' the way this baby flies!" Crow says.

Up ahead, the first of the next team's three identical runners pulls out of the waiting area below the bleachers.

Crow comes sailing into the bleacher area and doesn't see the other runner until it pulls out onto the track right in his path. He tries to brake. "Look out!" Says Crow, shouting. He swerves away from within inches of the other runner.

But, the near miss was enough to throw the rider off-balance. He tips over and skids sideways on his runner, then separates from it as it flips over and flies over him to nearly crash to the asphalt, scattering pieces, a few feet away. The rider finds himself facing the ground and riding sideways on a shiny black runner, he's alright though.

Akiza, Bruno and the twins are watching from the bleachers, confused. "Did something happen?" Leo asks. "What's going on?" Asks Luna. "Looks like there was an accident on one of the lanes!" Bruno says.

The two teammates of the guy who crashed ride past to reach their friend.

Yusei and Jack are just a short distance behind.

Crow's runner has also tipped over, but he extracts himself from it, relatively unharmed, and leaps over it to reach the guy he hit. "Hey!" Says Crow.

The rider is slung sideways on Skylara's runner, only now she's helping him off of her runner. He's leaning on Skylara, one arm over her shoulder.

One of the guy's teammates approaches them and helps bring him down to the ground, as he gets himself to his knees, and puts a worried hand on his shoulder. "Breo! Hey, are ya hurt?" "Don't worry, Andre. I'm gonna be fine. It's nothing." Breo says.

"I'm here, everyone calm down, give 'im air! How's he doin'?!" Asks Crow.

Andre and Breo's third teammate is just getting off of his runner next to him, and grabs him by the collar. "Why did you hit 'im, you fool?!" "It wasn't on purpose, guy. I, couldn't stop." Crow says. "You tried to injure my teammate!"

Jack pulls up on his runner and runs across the lane to get between him and Crow. "Stop it! He said it was an accident, mate." Says Jack. "An accident, ya say? It was our turn on the lane, your time was up, and he shouldn'a been out here in the first place!" Crow looks ashamed, but Jack doesn't back down.

Yusei and Skylara join them. "We'll slap his wrist." Jack says. "Look, nobody got hurt and my friend apologized. The way I see it, that should be enough." Says Skylara. "Your friend tried to sabotage my team, that's the way I see it! And I have a feeling that's the way the management committee will see it, too!" He lifts up a fist near Crow's face, who backs down and hides behind Skylara, he then lowers his fist. "And you are hiding behind me, why exactly?" Skylara asks. Crow straightens up and grips her by the shoulders, still hiding behind her. "Well, you're a woman and if he's truly a man, he won't hit a woman. So, makes since to stay behind you for a little while." Says Crow. "Are you seriously going to stay behind me the entire time we are here?" Skylara asks. "Um, yes, yes I am." Says Crow.

"We are not crying to the Committee, Jean. Unicorns have more integrity than that." Andre says. "Wait, what?" Asks Skylara. "Have you forgotten our faces already, Skylara Galatea?" Andre asks. He pulls off his dark blue helmet, his dark red hair has a small point sticking out of it, like the horn of a unicorn. "Hm? Oh, you guys are…" Says Skylara.

Flashback. At the WRGP Gala, Skylara, accompanied by Crow, and Andre, with Breo and Jean, briefly come face-to-face. "Team Unicorn. I can't believe I didn't recognize you." Skylara says, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "That's understandable. It was a brief meeting, without proper introduction. I am called Andre." Andre extends his hand out to her, in a gentle gesture. Skylara accepts it and he kisses her gloved hand, politely, and then releases it. And Jack is once again getting very jealous right now, only he turns away to hide it, his arms folded over his chest. Andre indicates each of his teammates as he names them. Jean pulls off his dark red helmet, revealing shiny, black hair, sharp cheekbones and sideburns, and an expressionless face. Breo joins them at Andre's other shoulder, having removed his white helmet to reveal neck-length, blonde hair and easygoing green eyes. "This here is Jean and this is Breo." Says Andre. "Hello." Breo says. He does the same thing Andre did, extending his hand out to Skylara. "And thanks for saving me from that fall. It could've been a lot worse." Says Breo. He then kisses Skylara's gloved hand, in thanks. Which makes Jack even more jealous, who growls under his breath. Jean rolls his eyes, impatiently, he doesn't want to spend time getting chummy with their competition. "I really am sorry, I feel terrible." Crow says, addressing Breo. Breo winks. "Nah, I'm still in one piece, right?" Asks Breo. "Yeah, I, guess you could say that! Can't say the same for your duel runner, though, look a' that thing, there's no way it'll run now." Crow says. Breo's runner is still smoking, faintly, a few pieces of badly bent metal clutter the ground around it. "Perhaps, but what's done is done. I'll just use another one. C'est la vie, dude." Says Breo. "Huh?!" Crow asks. "We've got a ton of sponsors funding our team. We've got, like, ten a' those exact same runners back at the garage." Says Andre. "Still, lemme pay for the damages, it's the least I could do." Crow says. "Judging from your clothes, I doubt you could pay for a new kickstand." Says Jean. "Knock it off, Jean! Don't be like that!" Andre says. "Rrrgh!" Crow growls under his breath. _"Must-control-urge to say something back!"_ Crow thinks to himself. "This was our fault, we can't just not make it up to you somehow. So, what can we do?" Asks Skylara. "You're very honorable. How 'bout this? You guys duel us right now, and if you win, we'll call it even and you don't have to worry about paying for any damages." Andre says. "Really?" Asks Yusei, surprised. "Sure, why not? This is our private practice lane, and as far as I know, there was nothing in the rules stating that we can't actually duel while we're out here." Andre says. "Don't be absurd, Andre! We only have this lane for an hour or so!" Says Jean. "Ohh, right, there's not enough time for a three-on-three battle, is there. Well then, how about Skylara and I go mano y mano?" Andre asks. "You and me?" Asks Skylara. "I have heard so much about you. I wanna see the skills that won you into your ranking and that made you undefeated through your whole dueling career in action." Andre says. "Yeah, now things are getting exciting! Do it, Skylara!" Says Crow. "But, they are our first opponents in the Preliminaries." Skylara says, aside to him, Yusei and Jack. "That's just what I was thinking. There's no need to show them our hand yet. Do not accept this challenge, Skylara." Says Jack, aside to her, Yusei and Crow. "Let's go, Andre. We shouldn't intimidate them into doing something they don't wanna do." Jean says. "What?!" Asks Jack. "Look, I get it. You guys know who we are, you're probably scared to duel us in the tournament as it is, it makes sense." Jean says. That gets Jack. "Mmph! Wha…! Are you daft?! You think we're scared of you?! That's…! That's…! Skylara, you've got to accept this challenge, do not back down!" Says Jack. Skylara pauses, perhaps she isn't sure about this, but she shall accept the will of her team. "All right, then! If this is how you want to settle things! Then let's duel, you and me!" Skylara says. "Now that's the spirit!" Says Andre. He winks, dashingly, with a cunning half-grin.

Skylara's runner screen displays 6:13 PM, as 'Speed World Two' appears on her screen.

A wave of light spreads from Skylara's and Andre's runners, as they sit on the starting line. "Duel mode engaged." The computer says.

Skylara glances over toward Andre, sizing up her opponent one last moment before they duel.

Andre replies, with a similar measuring look, his smile widening slightly.

"I hope this little ruse proves to be worth the trouble." Says Breo. He and Jean are watching the duel from the bleachers directly above the track entrance. Breo rubs his lower back, petulantly. "Considering, that I'm the one who had to take the fall." Breo says. "And you made it look so convincing. Thanks to your little 'accident', Breo. We're about to get a sneak peek at Skylara's strengths and weaknesses." Says Jean. "Yeah, but how do we know for sure that this team is even worth the bother, Jean?" Breo asks. They watch Skylara and Andre wait for the starting signal.

Skylara's friends are watching from the first row of bleachers beside the track.

"Well, Jack Atlas was the top turbo-duelist until Yusei came along and won the Fortune Cup. And Skylara's been undefeated through her whole dueling career, no one has been able to beat her in a duel or a turbo-duel. In fact, she still is to this day. I'm fairly certain Team Six-D's will impress." Says Jean. "How impressive can they be, if they can't even tell when they're being duped?" Breo asks. Jean's heavy brow lowers slightly as he narrows his eyes. "Never underestimate the enemy, Breo. They're about to begin, time to find out what this Skylara Galatea is made of!" Says Jean.

The countdown clock appears above the track, and flashes green, the runners take off.

Skylara is slightly behind.

As they zoom out onto the open track, Skylara glances at Andre, calculatingly, then twists her accelerator, pulling ahead.

Andre notices the ploy, and smirks.

As they round the first curve, Skylara is pulling well ahead.

"Oh, yeah! That's how Team Six-D's gets it done! Now, she gets to make the first move!" Crow says.

"Ah, a delayed power thrust. Isn't that just precious." Says Breo. "Best part is, I told Andre to hold his throttle at eighty-percent!" Jean says. Breo laughs.

Skylara and Andre zoom down the track, around them, the sunset is painting the sky yellow, orange and red, glaring off the sides of the track.

Beyond them, the track winds its way through a field of New Domino's buildings.

"I draw! I summon Gill Grunt in attack mode!" Says Skylara. Gill Grunt has 1800 attack points, is a level 4 monster and is a water type monster. "And with that, I end my turn." Skylara says.

"Really? That's her big opening? Per'aps she's waiting for Andre to reveal his deck by making the first big move. Now, which deck didja tell Andre to use?" Asks Breo. "I reasoned that the Quick Attack Power Deck would be the easiest for them to comprehend, and would leave a strong and lasting impression." Jean says. "The Quick Attack Power Deck, so that's why you decided that Andre should be the one to duel." Says Breo. "Exactly. You can pre-strategize all you want, but if you don't draw the cards ya need at the beginning, your strategy goes out the window. That's when how you play the cards becomes important. And the Quick Attack Power Deck can be especially tricky. Andre's a master at deciphering the best strategy within the limited hand he's given. He rolls with the punches. No matter what comes his way, he can spin it into a beautiful combo. The guy's a true poet a' the cards." Jean says.

Skylara doesn't see that Andre's beginning to gain on her again.

 _"It's time for the matador to start angering the bull!"_ Andre thinks to himself. "It's my turn now, Skylara! I summon Playful Possum to the field!" Says Andre. Playful Possum has 800 attack points and is a level 2 monster. "Then, I activate the Possum's special ability. When you have a monster out on your field with more attack points than Playful Possum, I can destroy this card. Now go!" Andre says. Playful Possum throws itself onto its back, plays dead and explodes in a flash of light.

"What?!" Asks Skylara.

"That's weird, why bring a monster to the field, and then destroy it right away?" Leo asks.

"Huh. This is one a' my favorite combos, it's a genuine work of art!" Says Jean.

"Due to Playful Possum's destruction, I can summon Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest from my hand!" Andre says. Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest has 2600 attack points and is a level 7 monster. "You see, Skylara. When a beast-type monster on my field is destroyed, I can then summon Green Baboon directly from my hand by paying one thousand lifepoints." Says Andre.

"I figured it was something like that. I mean, I didn't think you were destroying the first monster you summoned for my benefit." Skylara says.

"Go, Green Baboon! Attack Gill Grunt with Hammer Club!" Says Andre.

Green Baboon attacks and destroys Gill Grunt. Skylara's lifepoints fall to 3200. "Uuunngghhh!"

"If you thought that attack was something, just wait 'til you see what these two face downs can do!" Andre says.

"Can't wait to find out! From my hand, I activate the 'Dark Angel Baton' speed spell! When I have two or more speed counters, I can use this card's power to draw two cards from my deck, as long as I send one card in my hand to the graveyard. For my next move, I'm activating another 'Dark Angel Baton'!" Says Skylara.

"Doubling her speed spell?!" Jean asks. They watch Skylara add two more cards to her hand. "A very clever maneuver." Says Jean.

"And now, I'm summoning Hex in attack mode!" Skylara says. Hex has 1300 attack points and is a level 3 monster. "When I successfully summon Hex, I can also summon a level-two-or-below monster from my graveyard. Say hello to Warnado!" Says Skylara. Warnado has 400 attack points and is a level 2 monster. "However, I am not done yet. Since Hex is a tuner monster, I can also summon Wrecking Ball directly from my graveyard!" Skylara says. Wrecking Ball has 800 attack points and is a level 2 monster.

"She managed to summon both of the monsters that she discarded to pay for the cost of those two speed spells! And all in one combo. Very impressive. It seems she's livin' up to her reputation." Says Jean. "These are probably her standard moves, bet she practices these every day!" Breo says. "Hm! If you're right, we'll know soon enough." Says Jean.

"Now, both my level-two Wrecking Ball, and my level-two Warnado, shall get a tuning from Hex!" Skylara says. Hex throws down a ghostly skull from her hand, and starts its little glowing, flaring into the air in a brilliant fireball to generate three parallel rings of green. Warnado and Wrecking Ball soar into the rings, simplify into golden outlines that reveal the bright, glowing stars at their cores. "I synchro-summon, Whirlwind!" Says Skylara. Whirlwind has 2300 attack points, is a level 7 monster and is a wind type monster. "Next, I activate Whirlwind's special ability! Once a turn, Whirlwind can remove a monster on your field entirely from play! Go, Tempest Cloud!" Skylara says. Green Baboon is removed from play.

"Y-eah! Now, Andre's got no monsters on his field!" Says Crow. "He's all yours, Skylara! Now put 'im in his place!" Leo says.

"Now, Whirlwind! Attack him directly! Go, Atomic Rainbow!" Says Skylara.

"You're gonna have to work harder than that to get me. I activate 'Battle Instinct'! When I find myself the target of a direct attack, I can activate this card and summon a level-four-or-below monster from my hand. I call forth, Nimble Momonga!" Andre says. Nimble Momonga has 1000 attack points,100 defense points, is a level 2 monster and is an earth type monster. Andre's flying-squirrelish monster crouches on the field in attack mode.

Skylara looks over her shoulder, incredulous and frustrated, as her attack strikes the rodent instead. "Man!" Says Skylara.

Andre's lifepoints decrease to 1700.

"Andre may've avoided a direct hit, but Skylara still managed to damage 'im!" Leo says.

"It's at this moment that Momonga's special ability activates. When it's destroyed in battle and sent to the graveyard, I can regain a thousand lifepoints." Andre says. This gives him 2700. "And I can summon two or more Nimble Momonga's to the field in defense mode!" Says Andre.

"I place one card face down and end my turn." Skylara says.

"Since we've reached the end phase, the Green Baboon that Whirlwind's special ability removed from play returns to the field!" Says Andre.

"What happened? It seemed like Skylara was rockin' her turn!" Leo says. "Look, Andre only lost three hundred lifepoints!" Says Akiza. "And he's got three monsters on his field!" Crow says. "That Andre guy was able to use Skylara's turn to his complete advantage!" Says Luna.

"Andre's doing well." Breo says. "These are his natural instincts at work, he's a master at finessing of battle." Says Jean.

"Your attack just now was careless, Skylara. You've got openings in your strategy, which I will now exploit! First, I activate Playful Possum's special ability! When Playful Possum is in the graveyard due to its own ability, I can re-summon it to the field during the standby phase! Then, I release both Playful Possum and Nimble Momonga, in order to summon, Behemoth the King of all Animals!" Andre says. His two monsters disappear into the sky, and from where they vanished, thick wavy columns of a heavy black substance undulate down from the heavens. In their depths emerges a pair of glowing yellow eyes, then the roiling fluid parts to reveal a big purple monster with horns, hair, and huge sharp teeth, its round-shouldered, four-legged posture recalls a pit bull's, but it's muscled, horned, hairy, sharp-toothed, many-clawed, bright fuchsia, and very big and nasty-looking.

Behemoth the King of All Animals, is a level-seven beast-type monster, with twenty-seven-hundred attack points and fifteen-hundred defense points.

"Whoa, that thing is huge!" Says Skylara.

Behemoth looms over the field, baring its carnivore's set of teeth. "As is the power of its special ability. When Behemoth is successfully summoned, I can move the same number of beast-type monsters from my graveyard to my hand, as the number of monsters I used to summon it! Which lets me gain two Nimble Momonga's. As for the one on my field, I switch it to attack mode." Andre says.

"Yikes!" Says Leo. "Yeah. I'm not sure I wanna watch this." Akiza says. "Don' worry, Skylara can turn this around." Says Crow. "Andre has three back-to-back attacks ready to go, she can't win this!" Jack says. Chibi Chibi is sitting in his lap. "Ya think?" Asks Akiza. "Come on!" Both Luna and Leo say. Bruno watches, silently, a bead of sweat on his cheek.

"Slow down, we've only let Skylara execute a few moves. Wasn't the whole point of dueling her to study her skills?" Asks Breo. "Maybe I was wrong. If Andre can defeat 'er this quickly, then perhaps this Skylara isn't a threat to us, after all." Jean asks.

"Rrrghh!" Skylara growls under her breath.

"Heheheheh." Andre laughs.

And Skylara bravely rides on, with three vicious beasts at her back, ready to rend her lifepoints.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5: Natural Instincts: Part 2_

Skylara's front wheel tilts to the side, acutely, carrying her around a sharp curve, then she levels it out again.

"I hope you're ready, Skylara." Andre says.

Skylara glances back.

Andre's hot on her tail, with his three monsters ready to attack. "'Cause it's about to get wild! Let's go! Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest, attack Whirlwind!" Says Andre. Green Baboon springs toward Whirlwind, raising its club...

"I activate my trap, 'Chain Arrow'! This trap grants a monster being attacked a temporary increase in power." Skylara says.

"That means…!" Says Andre.

Green Baboon's club hits the edge of Whirlwind's wing, and the monster shatters along with its weapon.

"That means since Whirlwind successfully used 'Chain Arrow' to destroy a monster in battle, she can fire a counterattack shot that lowers another one of your monster's attack points by a thousand until the end phase of your turn!" Skylara says. And Whirlwind has her sights set on Behemoth. She fires a single shot of fire breath, which burns into a flamed chain as it flies, and binds around Behemoth.

Now Andre has a big, huge, pink monster floating along behind him, wrapped in chains, and now with only 1700 attack points. "I have to admit, I am somewhat impressed." Says Andre.

"Great! Not only did she avoid Whirlwind's destruction, but she managed to temporarily cripple Andre's Behemoth!" Bruno says. "And with Behemoth weakened like that, Andre can't attack Whirlwind any more this turn!" Says Luna. "Go, Team Six-D's!" Leo says. "I sure hope Skylara can keep the momentum going!" Says Akiza.

"Now, the 'Chain Arrow' effect wears off, and Whirlwind's attack points return to normal!" Skylara says.

"Well, whoo-hoo." Says Breo. "What incredible foresight!" Jean says.

Flashback. Whirlwind fires at Green Baboon, and it vanishes from the field. "Skylara removed Green Baboon from play using Whirlwind's ability. But, she knew the big ape would return to the field during the end phase and that Andre would attack with it first." Says Jean, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "So, she planted a trap card that would negate the attack, destroy Baboon permanently, and weaken Behemoth at the same time. Not too bad!" Jean says.

"Well, well! I mockishly declared earlier that there were glaring openings in your strategy. But, perhaps I was wrong. I take it back, and humbly apologize, by activating 'Beast Burial Ritual'! This trap lets me draw two new cards in exchange for sending one monster on my field to the graveyard, say goodbye to Nimble Momonga!" Says Andre. He draws two cards and holds them up, triumphantly.

Skylara groans, Andre having more ammunition is not a good thing.

"I'm starting to feel bad for that Nimble Momonga." Luna says. "I'm starting to feel bad for Skylara." Says Bruno.

"As you may've guessed, when a beast-type monster of mine is destroyed, I can pay a thousand lifepoints to get Green Baboon out of my graveyard and back on my field." Andre says.

"That guy loves his monkey." Says Crow. "Yes, well, unfortunately that monkey can now obliterate Whirlwind." Jack says.

"Wait, d'you think Andre knew he would need that trap when 'e placed it?" Asks Breo. "Of course he knew, Breo. In that last battle, if it'd been business-as-usual for Andre, he would've attacked with Behemoth instead of Green Baboon, considering Behemoth is so much stronger. But, by anticipating Skylara's thinking, Andre was able to think a few steps ahead of 'er." Jean says.

Flashback. Green Baboon attacks Whirlwind, and Skylara activates 'Chain Arrow'. "So, 'e turned the tables on 'Chain Arrow'. He basically used Skylara's trap as an opportunity to draw two new cards." Says Jean, in voice-over. Baboon hits the edge of Whirlwind's feathery dragon wing, and shatters. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "It reminds me of his duel at the Atlantis Tournament, when he was able to win only using trap cards." Jean says. "That was great." Says Breo. "Andre's better than anyone I know at reading his opponent, predicting their every move, and then using those moves, to pave the road to victory!" Jean says.

"Time to fight! Green Baboon, take out Whirlwind!" Says Andre.

Green Baboon smashes Whirlwind, showering Skylara with glowing hologram shards. Skylara's lifepoints decrease to 2900.

"And now with Whirlwind out of the picture, Behemoth moves in to attack you directly! This should shake things up!" Andre says.

Behemoth, still wrapped in chains, floats ahead of him and bounces on top of the top curve of Skylara's runner, throwing her off balance. She's at 1200 lifepoints now, but still hanging in there.

"Now, I'll place one card face down and end my turn. And 'Chain Arrow's' effect wears off, returning Behemoth's attack points to normal!" Says Andre. Behemoth breaks the chains, and increases its attack strength to 2700 again. "I was planning on finishing you off this round, but somehow you managed to survive. So, make your next turn count, or you're gonna find yourself at a dead end!" Andre says.

He and Skylara race onward.

"All right! Here comes Skylara's big counterattack!" Says Leo.

"It is my turn! Now, I summon Stealth Elf in defense mode!" Skylara says. Stealth Elf has 900 defense points, is a level 2 monster and is a light monster. _"This is all I have to go with, I hope this works."_ Skylara thinks to herself. "I place two cards face down and end my turn!" Says Skylara.

"Uh? That's all she's gonna do?" Leo asks. "It's not always big monsters and explosions, Leo! She needs to play it safe!" Says Luna. "Exactly. Good defense is the key." Akiza says. "Skylara is accustomed to battling me on a daily basis, why's she struggling so much against this joker?" Asks Jack. Chibi Chibi has dozed off in his arms, she feels safe and secure in her future-to-be-father's arms. "Maybe this joker is better than you, Jack." Bruno says. "Pretend he didn't say that. Look, Stealth Elf is practically a wall, that elf can usually withstand at least two attacks. Even if Andre summons a third monster next turn, he won't be able to attack Skylara directly." Says Crow.

"Heh! He's practically giving us a 'how-to-defeat-Skylara' handbook for when the tournament starts!" Breo says. "It's an informative read, but Andre needs to wrap it up. If he stretches this thing out much longer, they're gonna get suspicious." Says Jean.

 _"This is it, no more going easy on this girl."_ Andre thinks to himself. "It's my turn! I summon Nimble Momonga! Then, I send one beast-type monster from my hand to my graveyard in order to summon the Egotistical Ape tuner monster to the field!" Andre says. Egotistical Ape has 1200 attack points and is a level 5 monster. Egotistical Ape is a rather adorable little monkey, aside from the fact that it emanates a scary, shadowy specter. "Egotistical Ape's level increases by the level of the monster that was sent to the graveyard to summon it!" Says Andre. That makes it a level 7 monster now.

"Ugh!" Skylara says.

"Uh-oh. Andre's got four monsters." Says Akiza. "Two to chip away at Stealth Elf's defense points, a third one to dish out the finishing blow, leaving the field wide-open…" Jack says. Chibi Chibi squirms a bit in his arms. "For monster number four to move in, attack directly, and send Skylara home!" Says Yusei. "This is bad!" Both Leo and Luna says.

"Before you go any further, I reveal one of my trap cards, it is 'Shield Dagger'. When you summon a monster more powerful than a monster I have in defense mode, I can use 'Shield Dagger' to double my monster's defense points." Says Skylara. This gives Stealth Elf 1800 defense points.

"Yes! Now, it'll take a lot more than a freaky flying squirrel and a funny-looking monkey to destroy Stealth Elf!" Crow says.

"Nice try, but my level-seven Egotistical Ape is tuning my level-two Nimble Momonga!" Says Andre. Synchro-summon. Egotistical Ape's seven green rings align with Nimble Momonga's two stars. "You didn't think I was gonna try to one-two your monster with those weak critters, did you? I'm gonna let the king a' the jungle take your Stealth Elf out! Say hello to Naturia Gaodrake!" Andre says.

Naturia Gaodrake is a level-nine beast-type monster, with three thousand attack points and eighteen-hundred defense points.

"What is that, a dandelion?" Asks Akiza. "He totally knew that Skylara had a trap card ready that would boost her monster's defense points, he was just waiting for 'er to play it!" Crow says. "But by combining two of his monsters, he's now one monster shy of winning!" Says Jack.

"Baboon, get in there and clobber Skylara's Stealth Elf!" Andre says.

Baboon attacks, and Stealth Elf folds her arms closed, with two daggers in her hands, and withstands the blow.

"All right, Behemoth, your turn!" Says Andre.

Behemoth rams Stealth Elf next.

"And now, to seal the deal! Naturia Gaodrake pounces in for a third attack!" Andre says.

Stealth Elf shatters under Gaodrake's claws.

Skylara's group gasps. "Skylara's completely vulnerable now!" Says Luna. "The good news is, Andre doesn't have any more monsters that he can attack her with." Bruno says.

"My predator is still on the hunt, Skylara! I activate 'Howl of the Wild'! When a beast-type monster of mine destroys your monster in battle, 'Howl of the Wild' can slam you for three hundred points of damage for every beast on my field!" Says Andre.

"Oh, no!" Skylara says.

"'Oh, no' is right! See, with three beasts on my field, you'll be taking nine hundred points of damage!" Says Andre.

"Uuuuuunh!" Skylara withstands the zapping attack, now she has only 300 lifepoints left.

"I place one card face down and end my turn!" Andre says.

"Guess Andre didn't need another monster to attack with." Says Leo. "Yeah, he's got Skylara on the ropes!" Luna says. "This guy is awesome." Says Crow. "He reminds me of me, in a lot of ways." Jack says. _"This battle's amazing. I know I'm new at turbo-dueling, but will I ever be able to duel at this level?"_ Akiza thinks to herself. She watches Skylara and Andre zoom along the track. _"I hope, someday, I'll have the chance."_ Akiza thinks to herself.

Skylara glances back at Andre and his three beasts, anxiously, then down at her deck, this is it. She pauses, ready to draw. "It is my turn." Says Skylara. _"Nice!"_ Skylara thinks to herself. "I summon Double Trouble!" Skylara says. Double Trouble has 1000 attack points and is a level 4 monster. "And when I manage to bring Double Trouble to my field, I can then summon another monster from my graveyard as long as it has less than five hundred attack points. And Stealth Elf fits the bill perfectly! Now, don't bother mocking Stealth Elf's strength, because she won't be sticking around. You see, since I'm rocking six speed counters right now, I have the ability to activate the 'Dark Vision Wind' speed spell from my hand. And with that, I can special-summon one level-two or below monster from my graveyard! Welcome back, Warnado! And now, my level-two Warnado and my level-two Stealth Elf shall both get a tuning from my level-four Double Trouble!" Says Skylara. Double Trouble explodes upward into four green rings, and Stealth Elf and Warnado soar into them. "I synchro-summon your defeat! Now come forth, Cynder the Black Dragon!" Skylara says. Cynder takes the field in a rain of darkness, blazing red. Cynder the Black Dragon has 2900 attack points and is a level 8 monster. Cynder appears on the field with a shriek.

"She played Cynder the Black Dragon!" Says Leo.

"Look, her top monster's finally shown up, and it can't even compete with Green Baboon!" Breo says. Jean straightens the little spikes on the edges of his hairdo. "What's she gonna do with that rangy reptile?!" Asks Jean.

"Now, Cynder the Black Dragon, attack Green Baboon with Dark Shadow Flame!" Skylara says.

"Have you lost your mind? Green Baboon has more attack points, Skylara!" Says Andre.

"That is why I'm activating the 'Synchro Strike' trap! With this card, for every monster that was used to summon her, Cynder the Black Dragon gains an additional five hundred attack points!" Skylara says. With Warnado, Stealth Elf and Double Trouble, that's 1500 more points.

"So now she has four thousand four hundred attack points?!" Asks Andre.

"That is right!" Skylara says.

Cynder vaporizes Green Baboon, and Andre's lifepoints decrease all the way to 100.

"Yeah!" Says Leo. "Now who's low on lifepoints!" Luna says. "This is great, 'cause Skylara's got six speed counters right now! So, all she needs is a speed spell, and she can drain the rest of Andre's lifepoints faster than Leo drains a milkshake!" Says Akiza. "Whoa, check out the play-by-play coming from Akiza! You're sounding like a real turbo-duelist!" Yusei says. Akiza smiles.

 _"Ten... nine... eight..."_ Andre thinks to himself.

"Now, I'm activating the effect of 'Speed World Two'! With this card, you take eight hundred points of damage for every speed spell…" Says Skylara.

 _"Two... one...!"_ Andre thinks to himself.

"That I'm currently holding in my hand!" Skylara says.

Signs with red symbols flash above the track, the duel's been shut down.

"What is this?!" Asks Skylara.

"Looks like our practice time is up! I guess the duel is a draw." Andre says.

The monsters vanish one by one.

Later, the two teams, riders and spectators, meet down on the track near the bleachers. Andre extends a hand to Skylara. "Nice dueling with you." Says Andre. Skylara clasps the hand, beginning to warm again after the unexpected interrupt. "Yes, nice dueling with you." Skylara says. "We'll have to settle this in the Preliminaries. See ya on the track." Says Andre. The three riders of Team Unicorn ride away, never once looking back.

"That was sweet!" Luna says. "You had that guy! You totally would've won that!" Says Leo. "Not quite." Skylara says.

Flashback. Andre places a card face down. "He still had a face down card on his field." Says Skylara, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "And based on the way he was dueling, I wouldn't be surprised if that card was a game-changer." Skylara says. "So, even at that point you think he was a step ahead of you?" Asks Akiza. "Probably." Skylara says. "So, you would've gone in and he would've counterattacked, and that would've been that." Says Bruno. "Who knows, but those guys are good. It's gonna take everything we've got to beat them in the tournament." Yusei says. "I'm not afraid of those louts, they will play into my hand and then I'll crush them like the little bugs that they are!" Says Jack. He's still holding Chibi Chibi in his arms, who is still asleep. "Yeah, we'll take 'em down! Team Unicorn is gonna be 'Team Stinkycorn'!" Crow says.

Above, hidden in a shadowy doorway to the stands, lurk three shady individuals, all bearing tracking dye, faces shadowed. One wears a lilac, button-up shirt, under a white jacket, and he speaks first. "Hmhmhmhm. It'll take everything they've got to beat Team Unicorn?" The second wears a studded collar and brown jacket, over a moss green shirt. "I have news for them! If they think those prepsters are a challenge, they should just forfeit now!" The third is distinguishable by a black goatee and a strong germanic accent. "Maybe some-sing bad vill happen to one of them that forces zhem to forfeit!" Purple shirt likes the idea. "Yeah, maybe so!" All three snicker.

Mid-day, at the Pier. Seagulls waft above, as Skylara's runner zooms past, creating a cloud of dust. She's riding up on Akiza, waiting off to the side, wearing her riding suit and holding a stopwatch ready.

Akiza looks at it, it has a tiny 6D's logo at the top of the dial, and currently reads 00:46:083 and counting.

Skylara accelerates faster, and races past her.

Akiza looks at the stopwatch again.

Skylara starts braking several feet past.

"Oh, nice! That's her fastest time yet!" Says Akiza.

"I could 'ave beaten zat!" Sherry says. She rides up the same direction Skylara came from, on her white and red runner, and brakes near Akiza. "Sherry?" Asks Akiza. Sherry presses a button on the side of her helmet to retract her visor and grille. "I thought I would swing by and say bonjour, since we won't be meeting in the Preliminaries. They've put us in different divisions." Sherry says. "D'you know who you're up against in the first round?" Asks Akiza. "Some bunch calling zemselves ze Cheerleading Squad, I'm not worried about zem. I am, however, worried about some of ze other participants. I fear zhey may be working with Yliaster. You should be careful, Akiza. In fact, all of you should." Sherry says, dismissively.

"Same to you, Sherry." Says Skylara. She joins them on her runner, stopping halfway past Sherry and her runner in a sort of parked cross-back. "Don't go chasing after danger." Skylara says. "I am not chasing after danger, Skylara. It is danger zhat is chasing me. And speaking of which, you and I should discuss what we saw ze other day at ze 'eadquarters of ze Public Security Bureau." Says Sherry. Skylara gasps.

Flashback, as Skylara recalls the strange, rotating machine in the all-white room, and its single, intense royal blue eye surrounded by skin as rough as if it had been woodcut. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. Skylara is silent. "Until zhen." Sherry says. She revs her engine, and her runner rears in an impressive wheelie. "Keep your wits about you, Skylara Galatea! And be ready for anything!" Says Sherry. She rides away. "Au revoir!" Sherry says.

Skylara and Akiza stare after her, the former over her shoulder, and with apprehension.

Sunset finds Skylara, Jack and Crow's runners parked outside Martha's residence in the rebuilt Satellite.

Inside, they're just inside the door, Crow's carrying a bag of groceries. "Martha! Blister! Sorry we're late. Traffic was a pain." Says Crow. "Goodness sake, so nice to see your faces! Come on in." Martha says.

The five soon take seats at the dining table. Crow sips from a mug, while Jack's mug sits on the table untouched, and the former's groceries are next to Martha, they include two loaves of bread, three jars of tomato sauce, and what might be cheese. Martha is holding Chibi Chibi in her arms. "Oh, your such a sweetie." Says Martha. She then turns her attention to Jack and Skylara. "So, you two finally did it, did you? I'll be honest, I had a feeling you two were getting sexually involved, but I thought you would've at least used some type of protection." Martha says. "But, Martha. She came from the future. She's mine and Skylara's daughter from the future. She shared her memories with Skylara the other day, and that's what she saw in her thoughts." Says Jack. "Jack, relax. A lot of strange things have happened in the past months, so I believe in the possibility of time travel. Did you honestly think I thought that Skylara just recently had this little girl since the last time you guys visited me? I mean, she's obviously bigger than a baby who would've recently been born. She's about two or three, at the least. And I know you and Skylara weren't exactly sexually active two to three years ago. If I recall, you and her weren't even together around that time period." Martha says. "Anyway, where's Yusei? I thought he was coming with you." Says Blister. "Oh. Yeah, well, no dice. He decided to rain-check this visit. He wanted to do some more practice runs down at the Pier." Crow says. "Allow me to translate that for you. 'He wanted to spend more time with Akiza down at the Pier'. So, Skylara is here instead of Yusei!" Says Jack, unamused. "At least he's doing something constructive. I heard from Zora that a certain someone can't seem to hold down a job." Martha says. Jack looks scared for a second, then remains aloof. "I reject that statement and I won't comment on it." Says Jack, mildly. "Heh heh heh heh. Hm? I just realized how quiet it is. The kids not here?" Crow asks. "It's time to come out, you guys." Says Martha.

Crow's kids can no longer keep from giggling, they open the door to the rest of the house that they were watching from.

Crow walks over. "What's goin' on, ya little brats, were you hiding from me?" Crow asks, teasing them, affectionately. They laugh even harder. Crow is nonplussed. Then they reveal a big piece of cloth, and Crow can barely believe his eyes. It's a big white flag, and on it is a drawn image of a caricatured Crow on his runner, the same drawings they were holding up during his last duel. "Huh? Did-did you guys make this?" Asks Crow.

"They stayed up 'til three A.M., I couldn't get them to go to bed. They wanted to finish it before you got here." Martha says.

Crow is deeply moved, eyes shining, mouth hanging open, in amazement. "We're gonna make it like a flag, and bring it to the tournament, and cheer really loud for you and everything!" "So, if you're ever feeling all rumbled…" "Just look up and see this!" Crow takes the beautiful flag from Ginga's hands, and stares at the goofy caricature of himself. "You guys, it's… I don't know what to say...!" Says Crow. He's choking up. "This is, like, the nicest thing that…" Crow says. He crouches down and hugs all five of them. "C'mere, you little nerds! Thanks, guys. You're the best!" Says Crow.

Blister smiles, Martha watches, with satisfaction, and Jack looks jealous in that he's pretending not to be. Jack looks away, bitterly. Martha gives him a thumbs-up. "You know, Jack! Maybe if you smiled more often, somebody would make something like that for you!" Martha says. "What's that supposed to mean?!" Asks Jack. Everyone laughs.

Martha walks over to Skylara, noticing she's looking down at her hands, on the table. "Skylara." Martha says. She places one of her hands on her shoulder, while still holding Chibi Chibi in her other arm, Skylara looks up at her from the corner of her eye. "Your quieter than usual, what's up?" Asks Martha. "It's nothing, really. However, there is something that I must discuss with you. Privately, if you wouldn't mind?" Skylara asks. Martha hands Chibi Chibi over to Jack, who takes her and sits her in his lap. "I'm still your foster mother, no matter how old you are. So, of course. You can tell me anything." Says Martha. Skylara stands up from the chair and follows her towards a door, which leads to a separate room and she closes the door behind them.

Blister, Crow and Jack are left to wonder what that was all about.

Outside, the night has grown dark, but peaceful. A shooting star sails through a gap in the patchy nighttime clouds.

The fountain in the square near Zora's building sparkles in the morning sunlight.

Inside, Bruno's busy frying an egg on the stove in the living room above the garage.

Yusei climbs down the ladder from above. "Smells great. I'm surprised Crow's not begging yet!" Yusei says. "Uhh, he took off about an hour ago to get some practice runs in." Says Bruno. Yusei smiles, nervously.

Crow zooms down an empty freeway, visor down, racing gear on, hardcore.

As he rounds a corner, he sees a rider in black ahead of him. Crow leans into the curve, trying to catch up to the other runner, but it disappears ahead.

Crow straightens up out of the curve. "The-e-ere we go, hug that curve!" Crow says.

As he races onward, the other rider appears ahead of him once again, then slows and is suddenly right in front of him! A single monster card, Hook the Hidden Knight, flashes against darkness, and suddenly Crow finds himself veering wildly, trying to avoid a crash! He skids nearly horizontal to the road, then flies off balance and is propelled into the air, free of his runner, yelling.

The other runner zooms away.

Crow takes the fall on one hand, and a nasty crunch can be heard, then bounces into the air again and takes the next fall on his shoulder, skidding to a halt, his runner scraping along the road after him. Crow has just suffered a fairly major crash. He lies in the road for a moment, looking up at the bright blue sky. "Ohh..." Says Crow. He tilts his head up, and, upside-down, sees his runner lying on the street beyond where he fell. "Oh, man... W-what just happened?" Crow asks. He looks around, beyond his sprawled legs, the road is empty. He sits up, leaning on his left arm, then shifting his weight over to his right. The moment he moves his right arm… "Aaaaaaaaaagghhh!" Crow looks at his right arm, the hard plastic shoulder pad has been shattered and broken away by the crash, and his bare shoulder is a bit scratched, too. "Ugh... no way...!" Says Crow.

Later, Crow, accompanied by Yusei, Skylara, Jack, Akiza, who's holding Chibi Chibi in her arms, and Bruno, is wearing his usual vest over a bandaged shoulder, his arm in a sling. "I dislocated my shoulder?!" Crow asks. The doctor consults his clipboard, and several x-rays of shoulder bones are on the walls nearby. "Uh, yeah. Should take about a month to fully heal, maybe two." "You can't be serious!" Says Jack. "The Preliminaries are in three days!" Akiza says. "I can duel, right?! I mean, I'm fine, I feel perfect, never felt better!" Says Crow. "You can't duel!" Crow falls down on his knees, distraught. "I'm beggin' you, doc! I'll eat my veggies, I'll do yoga, whatever you want! I've gotta have the chance to win that tournament with my friends! Come on…" Crow says. He's starting to tear up, the last is almost a whimper. "…help me make this happen, doc! Tell me I can still duel!" Says Crow. "I would if ya could, but'cha can't! And I am not about to sign off on your release form." "You're just a quack! I don't need your quacky permission! And I don't need your bandages!" Crow says, defensively. He reaches for his shoulder, as though to pull them off, but touching it makes him cry out, in pain. Yusei, Skylara and Jack reach out to him, in concern. "Stop that." Says Skylara. Crow's eyes are filling with tears. "Why...? Why now...?!" Crow asks.

Closing his eyes, he remembers the flag the nestlings made for him.

"What'm I supposed to tell the little nerds?!" Asks Crow. And he stands there, sobbing. Everyone looks worried.

That night, heavy rain pours down. In the garage, the mood is one of tension and despair.

Yusei and Jack are sitting in opposite chairs, while Skylara is sitting in the middle of them both at the table.

Bruno stands off to one side.

Akiza to the other.

And Crow across the room, back turned.

Chibi Chibi is asleep on the couch, with a blanket over her.

"So, just the three of us, then?" Jack asks, addressing Skylara and Yusei.

"According to the tournament rules, the choice for teams is three to four people. If two four people teams go at it, then it's just a normal team turbo-duel. But, if the teams are four against three, then the four person team must be reduced to three, with one of the members becoming a back-up duelist to the team leader. Which is what you elected Yusei to be for Skylara's back-up. So, in a sense, Skylara and Jack are the only ones available to duel. Only if Skylara is unable to turbo-duel due to injury or something that physically keeps her from being able to turbo-duel, then Yusei would be able to take her place, but only under certain circumstances. Either way, a four or three person team gets twelve thousand lifepoints, but if it's only two people, then the team only gets eight thousand lifepoints." Says Bruno.

"Well, that is a really big handicap." Skylara says. "Should we just withdraw now?" Asks Jack. "No. I mean, we've come this far. We can't back down now." Yusei says. Jack pounds his fist on the table. "I'll tell you what we can't do! We can't enter knowing we don't have a chance! I duel to win or I don't duel at all, Yusei!" Says Jack. He and Yusei meet eyes for a tense moment, neither backing down.

"Um, boys? Skylara?" Akiza asks.

They look up at her.

"We're all part of Team Six-D's, aren't we? Let me duel with you." Says Akiza.

Behind her, Crow fidgets.

Yusei, Skylara and Jack are too surprised to move. "Really?" Skylara asks. "Are you sure you're up for it?" Asks Jack.

Akiza keeps a straight face, for her, this is not a challenge to take lightly. "Mm-hmm." Akiza says.

Jack smiles, ruefully, and shakes his head.

"That's not the worst idea I've ever heard. I mean, she's a sharp duelist, she knows your strategies." Says Bruno.

"I've still got a lot to learn about turbo-dueling. I'm well aware of that." Akiza says. She takes off her right glove, revealing the Crimson Dragon's claw mark on her delicate arm. "But, like you're always saying, Skylara. We're all connected by a bond. We can do this! Together! Hmm?" Asks Akiza. She turns.

Crow is walking away toward the open garage door.

"Hey, whereya goin', Crow?" Akiza asks.

"What's it matter! I'm clearly replaceable, who cares where I go!" Says Crow. He stalks out into the storm alone, leaving stunned silence in his wake, then breaks into a run outside the door.

Akiza looks pretty shocked, what has she just done?!

Somewhere in the city, a warehouse offers a near nonexistent awning to shelter from the rain. Crow's sitting on the soaking wet doorstep, a WRGP Poster on the wall next to him, injured arm resting on his lap. He opens his eyes, slowly, gazing out into space, despondently, it's impossible to tell how much of the water dripping down his cheeks is just the rain. He gazes up at the poster on the wall, resentfully.

In a small garage somewhere, other cubicles hold nice-looking cars, but Akiza's, down at the end, holds her duel runner. She's changed into her riding costume, and gazes down at it, apprehensive. _"Am I ready for this? Come on, Akiza. Stop asking yourself that. You have to be ready…"_ She thinks to herself. Akiza picks up her helmet from the seat and looks at it. _"…For Skylara, Jack and Yusei."_ Akiza thinks to herself. Just then, she hears a beeping ring, and pulls out a small, pink cell phone decorated with a fake rose. Whatever she sees on the screen, she's very surprised.

The garage door opens in the morning, revealing a bright, beautiful day. "No sign of Crow or his duel runner?" Yusei asks. "I guess he didn't come home last night." Says Skylara. She's sitting sideways on her duel runner, just finishing up tying back a small portion of her hair. Jack's pulling on his gloves, standing next to her. Chibi Chibi's standing before her future-to-be-parents, smiling up at them. Bruno's already on his own yellow runner, helmet on. "I hope he's okay. He seemed so upset when he left." Bruno says. "'E's just playing up the drama like the man-child he is, but he's our man-child! So, let's go find 'im!" Says Jack.

The four of them zoom past the sparkling fountain in the square and out onto the highway.

"No sign of Akiza this morning, either. I guess she was all talk." Jack says. Chibi Chibi's riding with him, sitting in front of him, with a helmet on.

Skylara doesn't reply.

Akiza's runner zooms past shipping crates and tall buildings on the flat, concrete expanse of the pier.

Crow is holding the stopwatch in his good hand. "Don't hesitate! Take those curves with full force, the pavement can smell fear!" Says Crow.

Skylara, Yusei, Jack and Bruno halt at the side of the road.

As Akiza completes a wide circle, under Crow's watchful eye.

All four start to smile. "Huh. How dare they make us worry." Jack says. "I wonder if they've been practicing all night?" Asks Bruno.

"All right! You are gonna tear the road up, Akiza! You are gonna own it out there!" Crow says.

Akiza replies, with a wink and thumbs-up, as she rides past.

"Looks like we have a new teammate, boys!" Says Skylara.

Several blimps soar high overhead, their screens on the sides showing the WRGP commercial's graphics. Fireworks are flowering in the bright blue sky above the Kaibadome. It's the morning of the tournament at last.

The same announcer from the Fortune Cup is speaking. "Duelists young and old, professional and amateur alike! This is it! The main event! The biggest thing to hit New Domino City! It's the World Racing Grand Prix!" The announcer says.

Five planes soar overhead, and write WRGP in contrails.

"And now, welcome to the first Preliminary round, Te-e-e-e-a-am Si-i-i-x-x-x-D's!" Says the announcer.

Ahead, a doorway streams light.

Skylara, Jack, Yusei and Akiza, each in riding gear, each carrying his or her helmet, each face resolved, walk toward the light, side-by-side.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6: Power Plays_

Out in front of the Kaibadome.

A giant holographic image of the WRGP poster that has been pasted to every other wall in the city for the past few months rotates, slowly.

Outside the front gates, several stalls sell food and trinkets, and a clown hands out balloons. The front of the stadium is crowned with a massive WRGP logo.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Please take your seats, we're about to get underway!" The announcer says.

Above the stadium in the sky, five points of light appear in the blue. High overhead, the five jet planes fly past in formation, in an expert maneuver that leaves contrails among the balmy cumulus clouds that spell out WRGP. Fireworks explode around it.

"Yes, duel fans, the tournament of titans has arrived! The challenge of champions is upon us!" Says the announcer.

From the contrails and then down into the stadium, where the atmosphere is charged with excitement. The Kaibadome's iconic holographic Sphere displays the WRGP logo. The Kaibadome has undergone some alterations for this tournament, in place of the two standing duel arenas in the center of the track, there is now even more audience seating. There's also another set of stands between them, with its back to the structure that serves as backstage for the competitors. This building has a wide doorway and a side track leading to and from it, and beyond it, adjacent to the track and separated from it by a barrier, are two computer consoles.

"The World Racing Grand Prix is finally here! So, let's hear it from you!" The announcer says.

The crowd is cheering, several individuals hold up signs with the Team 6D's logo, a few more are holding cell phones or small holoscreens.

Below, the two teams are walking out of the central building.

To the right, Team 6D's is ready for action. Akiza, Yusei, Jack and Skylara are in their racing costumes. Leo, Luna and Chibi Chibi are wearing matching red and black team blazers, and both twins are also wearing their duel-boarding boots. Luna and Chibi Chibi are both wearing a Team 6D's visor cap. Bruno and Crow are also wearing team blazers, and the former a 6D's baseball cap, too. Crow still wears his arm in a sling, and wears his blazer across his shoulders.

"There will be many matchups in the days ahead, but since the squaring off has to start somewhere, why not start with some of the best!" Says the announcer.

To the left, Team Unicorn's three riders and every one of their entourage is wearing matching blue and white. Andre, Jean and Breo step forward. Breo's waving, cheerfully, Andre is definitely ready for a duel and Jean seems to be examining something pinched between his fingertips, unconcerned.

The two teams are squaring off, and there is tension in the air.

"I give you our first pairing of Grand Prix gladiators! Let the ga-a-a-a-a-mes begin!" The announcer says.

The crowd answers, with a tremendous roar, there isn't a single empty seat in the entire stadium. The stadium crowd roars.

The four Directors are watching the action through a holoscreen from their endless blue room.

"Heheheheheheheh! At last, it begins! At last! Our grand design shall come to pass!" Says Lester.

Galaxia, her sword at her side, looks unamused.

Primo's expression is closed.

And Jakob looks bored.

"So long as Jakob was correct in his calculations." Lester says.

Below them, the circuit has been forming a jagged infinity symbol in golden, activated lines. The center of it, where the lines cross, is almost the only part that remains mostly unlit. "Duel fans, the fanaticism has reached fever pitch here in New Domino! Not since the Fortune Cup has there been such a buzz in the air!" Says the announcer, via-screen.

The Sphere now shows the Announcer's face, as he speaks into his mic. "And the reason why is crystal-clear! After all, the best duelists in the world have come here today and they're here to win!" The announcer says, enthusiastically. The Sphere graphic changes to show an aerial map in two shades of blue, that may possibly be a map of New Domino City.

In the stands and on the ground, several young ladies, in matching pink uniforms, cheerleaders probably, and men and women, in green and yellow WRGP logo blazers, probably tournament staff, interact with the crowd and mill around.

"But to be the best, you've got to beat the best, and you've gotta start it on day one! So you better believe duelists will be looking to prove their prowess in the Preliminaries! Especially, when the discussion deals with these teams!" Says the announcer.

The Sphere changes to show two rectangles with three sections each. The top one is purple and fills with each face from Team Unicorn as the rider is named, and the bottom one is light blue and represents Team 6D's.

"From Team Unicorn! I give you, Breo! Andre! And, Jean! Their adversaries, Skylara Galatea! Jack Atlas! And, Akiza Izinski! Together, they are Team Si-i-i-x-x D's!" The announcer says.

The crowd roars. Seated in the stands, Trudge, Minako, Carly and Stephanie, the waitress from the café, are seated in one row, and in front of them, Dexter, Bob, Patty and Sly from Leo and Luna's class at Duel Academy. Bob has a hot dog and soda, and Patty looks worried.

Elsewhere in the stands, Akiza's parents are also spectating. Akiza's mom looks like her heart is in her throat already.

"That's right, duel fans! Two teams with the will to win this whole tournament are tangling it up in this very first match!" Says the announcer.

In the doorway above the stands, the three shady-looking markers are once again skulking in the shadows. This time their faces can be seen. All three are watching, silently, unconcerned but intent.

Down beside the track, each team has taken a console.

Breo and Jean lean over Team Unicorn's console.

While Bruno and Crow get situated at Team 6Ds' booth and the four riders stand behind them.

The twins jog out to join them from inside, Leo carrying the small handheld sign used to indicate a pit stop. "Team Unicorn's having Andre duel first!" Leo says. "D'ya have a strategy to beat 'im, Skylara?" Asks Luna. "No, because Jack is going to be the one dueling first. Then comes Akiza, and then I shall go last. And because there is only three duelists for Team Unicorn, our team is reduced to only using three duelists, which makes Yusei my back-up duelist in this duel. If I find myself unable to continue, I can tag him in to finish for me. Only, if that ends up happening, we have to abide by the circumstances, and that is he would have to use the cards I have left in my deck and his lifepoints would be reduced to whatever I have remaining." Skylara says. "So Yusei, you would have to use the rest of her deck then?" Asks Leo. Yusei nods. "That's right, but I've seen first hand how her deck works. So, it'll be fine." Yusei says. "What? So then, Jack's dueling Andre?" Asks Luna. "But, don't you wanna settle things with him since you two never got to finish up your practice match?" Leo asks. "No, we want to win." Says Jack. "Hm?" Leo asks. "The thing is, guys. Andre duels with a power deck. And our best chance is to fight back with more power." Says Bruno. "You got that right, Bruno. And that means using my Red Dragon Archfiend!" Jack says.

Soon Jack rolls up to the starting block on his runner.

Andre moves into place opposite.

Each rider's team gathers around his runner for one last tweak or double-check.

Bruno kneels in front of Jack's front bumper, with the twins watching over his shoulder.

Jean walks over from beside Andre's runner to join them. "Hit the road, Jean. We don't want trouble." Says Crow. "Nor do I. I just wanted to wish you good luck. And to say, I'm sorry about your arm." Jean says. Crow looks down at his sling, surprised, he sure wasn't expecting him to say that! Maybe these guys aren't so bad, after all. "Oh, well, thanks, and, good luck to you guys, too! Let's hope for a good match." Says Crow. Jean shrugs. "No hope needed. We've been watching tape on you for three weeks now, and you're one a' the best teams in this. Especially, with two lovely ladies on your team now. Although, don't expect us to go easy on you girls. This is a turbo-duel, one of the reckless kind of duels ever. And I see you've experienced that first hand, haven't you Skylara?" Jean asks. Jack then suddenly stands, almost ready to strangle this guy. "I've heard just about enough out of you!" Says Jack. Skylara puts herself in front of him, hands against his chest and enough to get him to stop. Jack glances down at her, expression completely changed. Jack then sits back down on his runner. "Sorry, didn't think a question towards you would affect him." Jean says. "Don't worry about it. He's just very suspicious about strangers around me, that is all. It took him some time to get used to Bruno around me. It isn't personal." Says Skylara. "I get it, he's protective of his girl. A lot of guys are like that." Jean says. "Hm?" Asks Crow. "This match is certain to be a classic!" Jean says. Yusei smiles. "Yeah! That's what we're here for, to give all the fans out there a good show." Says Yusei. "Yes, we are. And so far, the show's going according to script." Jean says. Yusei and Crow look startled. Jack, who's been listening to this over his shoulder, frowns. On Jack's other side, Akiza's also watching. Jean turns and walks away.

Crow is indignant. "'Goin' according to the script'? What on earth is that supposed to mean?! There is just no figurin' those guys out!" Says Crow. "Hm. I'll tell you what it means, it means they're quakin' in their boots! They knew they'd be scared to duel us and they are scared! So everything's going according to script, ya see?" Jack asks. Skylara looks uncertain.

Jean returns to his teammates. "So is it really like we'd figured, Jean? Did Skylara and Team Six-D's actually tap Jack to duel for them in this first Preliminary match?" Asks Breo. "That's right. I made them think he would do great, too. Andre, just be sure to play you-know-what when the match starts." Jean says. "For sure." Says Andre.

"All right, duel fans! At long last, it's the moment you've been waiting for! Duelists, you may start your runners!" The announcer says.

Jack and Andre rev up, their teams having returned to their control booths.

Yusei, Skylara and Akiza watch from beyond the booths, next to the track railing. "Well, Skylara. I guess this is it." Says Akiza. "Yes, now it is time to see if all our training has paid off." Skylara says.

"Here we go, Andre. This is where the rubber meets the road. And where my power deck meets yours, in a fight to the finish." Says Jack.

"Hm." Andre says.

Both runners' screens show 'Speed World Two'. "Duel mode, engaged." Says the computer.

The lights in the stadium dim with the activation of 'Speed World Two', and the holographic countdown clock appears. "Countdown initiated... Turbo-duelists..." The computer says.

Each team member and every spectator is watching, tensely.

"Ready... set... duel." Says the computer.

Both riders twist their accelerators, and a cloud of exhaust erupts at the starting line, they're off!

"And awa-a-a-ay they go!" The announcer says.

The two runners leave the starting line, gaining momentum.

"And this duel is underway! And wa-a-ay fast!" Says the announcer.

"Can ya keep up?!" Jack asks. He twists his accelerator grip, sharply, edging ahead.

 _"I can do better than keep up. Secret weapon time!"_ Andre thinks to himself. He clicks a button below his dashboard, and rocket engines kick in on the back of his runner, flaming blue. The acceleration pulls him back against the back of his seat, and he passes Jack, easily.

"What's this?!" Asks Jack.

Meanwhile, the rest of his team is watching the monitor on the laptop in front of Bruno. "Wha… no way!" Bruno says. "Whoa, it's an overboost system!" Says Yusei.

Jean and Breo are watching their laptop monitor. "Just as planned." Jean says, smugly.

Flashback. Andre bench-presses a large barbell and sets it down on the frame above, apparently Team Unicorn strategizes while working out. Jean and Breo are sitting on the two benches to either side of him, each in a T-shirt and sweats, with a towel draped over his neck. "Wait, did you say overboost system?" Asks Andre. "Yeah, it's not like it's against the rules or anything." Jean says. "Maybe not. But Jean, it's a bit of a double-edged sword. Sure, using it will allow for quick acceleration, but after that it limits your maximum speed." Says Breo. "Yeah, that's true. But, it's a price well worth paying if it means we get to make the first move, if ya catch my drift." Jean says. "Actually, Jean! I'm not entirely certain that I do!" Says Breo. "We use 'The Deck'." Jean says. "'The Deck'! Are you sure that's a smart move? We've never used it in a pro duel before!" Says Breo. "That's because we've never faced a team like Six-D's before. It will take a bit of work, but if we can situate things in just the right way, 'The Deck' will give us a big edge!" Jean says. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. Andre speeds ahead of Jack. _"If Team Six-D's wasn't so predictable and didn't start Jack Atlas, 'The Deck' would still be sitting back at our duel lab. But, seeing as how they are."_ Andre thinks to himself. "Heheh." Andre laughs.

"Go first, if it's that important to you! Because in the end, it'll be me who has the last laugh!" Says Jack.

They race onward into the first curve, each drawing his opening hand and placing it in the slot that holds it on their runner.

"And so the order has been determined! Time for this bout to begin!" The announcer says.

"My turn! And first, I summon the tuner monster Uni-Horned Familiar!" Says Andre. Uni-Horned Familiar has 0 attack points, 1000 defense points, is a level 2 monster and is a light monster. "Next, I remove a spell card in my hand from play to summon Monoceros!" Andre says. Monoceros has 1000 attack points and is a level 3 monster. "I know neither of these monsters is very impressive by themselves, but when put together..." Says Andre.

 _"He must be planning for a synchro!"_ Jack thinks to himself.

"I'll then place two face downs and end my turn." Andre says.

Jack gasps, what about the synchro-summon?!

Yusei is equally surprised. The rest of Team 6D's watches Andre's Monoceros and Uni-Horned Familiar coast along on either side of him on Bruno's laptop screen. "That's strange." Says Yusei. "What? What's the matter, Yusei?" Leo asks. "Andre was all set up to synchro-summon, but didn't." Says Yusei. "Yeah, instead he just kept both of his monsters sitting out there in defense mode. Guess Andre's decided to play it safe in case Jack attacks." Bruno says. "No. If Andre was really trying to play it safe, then he would have synchro-summoned. After all, when you synchro-summon using Monoceros and a beast-type tuner monster, you can then resurrect that same tuner monster right back to the field. In other words, he would have had an even stronger defense." Says Skylara. "Okay. So, why didn'e do it?" Crow asks. "I don't know, and that is exactly what scares me." Says Skylara.

Beyond them, Jean and Breo are watching the duel in Team Unicorn's booth. "Hm." Jean says.

"My turn! And with it, there'll be no turning back for you! Here I go! First, since there're only cards on your side of the field, I can summon this crushing creature! Come on out, Vice Dragon!" Says Jack. Vice Dragon has 2000 attack points, 2400 defense points, is a level 5 monster and is a wind type monster. "The price I must pay for summoning Vice Dragon in that manner is to lose half its attack and defense points. But that won't matter, because next I'm summoning out, Dark Resonator!" Jack says. Dark Resonator has 1300 attack points and is a level 3 monster. "Now, level-three Dark Resonator, tune with level-five Vice Dragon!" Says Jack. Dark Resonator taps his tuning fork, and turns into three stars, Vice Dragon floats through them. "In an inferno of power and might, a blazing new beast is now forged! I synchro-summon, the Red Dragon Archfiend!" Jack says. His dragon appears in the glow of yellow light from its synchro-summoning, eyes blazing red, it takes to the air over the darkened field. Red Dragon Archfiend has 3000 attack points and is a level 8 monster.

"Incredible, it's the first round and Jack has already summoned his most menacing monster!" Says the announcer.

Down in the stands, a substantial amount of fangirls can be seen holding up signs with hearts on them and cheering for Jack. One girl has a little stuffed doll of him. "We love you, Jack!" The girls cheer.

"Hope you're ready, Andre! Because when Red Dragon Archfiend attacks even one of your monsters in defense mode, then all of the monsters you have in defense mode are destroyed! Now let 'im have it, Archfiend! Attack with Absolute Powerforce!" Jack says.

"Yes, he fell for it!" Says Jean.

"I play Uni-Horned Familiar's special ability! Ya see, when Uni-Horned Familiar is attacked while in defense mode, by removing a monster on my field from play, I can also remove Uni-Horned Familar from play!" Andre says.

"What?!" Asks Jack.

"Now Andre's field doesn't have a thing on it!" Crow says.

 _"He must've been luring me in so he could use a trap on me! In that case…"_ Jack thinks to himself. "Nice try, Andre! But, I don't think so! I'm stopping Archfiend's attack here and now!" Says Jack.

"You're not stopping anything, Jack! My Uni-Horned Familiar's ability forces you to see your attack through to the end!" Andre says.

"What?!" Asks Jack.

"Come to me, Red Dragon Archfiend!" Andre says. Archfiend replies by flinging a fireball right at him and his runner... "Come and be snared like the annoying little pest that you are! I activate the trap 'Different Dimension Barrier-Lost Force'! Now the damage your Archfiend was about to inflict on me, is deflected back to you!" Says Andre.

"That's not good!" Jack says.

A shimmering barrier appears in front of Andre.

When Archfiend strikes, the barrier crackles and backfires against Archfiend, showering the track where Jack is riding with blasts. Jack's lifepoints fall to 1000 in a single shot. "Ugh!" Says Jack.

"Uh!" Yusei says. "He's been hit!" Says Crow.

In the stands. Carly, Minako and Stephanie rise from their seats. "Oh dear!" Carly says. "Is he okay?!" Asks Minako. "Hang on!" Stephanie says.

"Ugh! He'll pay for that!" Says Jack.

"Jack Atlas just took a crushing counterhit! Can he come out of it okay?!" The announcer asks.

Minako, Carly and Stephanie watch from the stands, anxiously.

Jack rides out of the dust screen, teeth bared, this means war.

The three ladies in the stands breathe a sigh of relief, in unison.

"I play three cards face down and end my turn!" Says Jack.

"Ha! Jean, your strategy is working perfectly so far!" Breo says. "'Course it is, after all Jack's as predictable as his deck! Victory's all but assured now, Breo. So much for the infamous Team Six-D's." Says Jean.

Andre watches Jack in his rearview camera. _"Jack's down but he's not out, not yet!"_ Andre thinks to himself. "My turn! First, the Uni-Horned Familiar that was removed from play last round returns to the field! So welcome back, my single-spiked friend!" Andre says. Uni-Horned Familiar has 1000 attack points and is a level 2 monster. "And next, I'll be welcoming Unicorn Knight. But in order for that to happen, I must resurrect Monoceros, and special-summon him! So, come back, Monoceros!" Says Andre. Monoceros has 1000 attack points, 1000 defense points, is a level 3 monster and is a light type monster. "Now, appear Unicorn Knight!" Andre says. Unicorn Knight has 1800 attack points and is a level 4 monster. "And now, level-two-horned Familiar, tune with level-three Monoceros!" Says Andre. Familiar turns into a cloud of stars, and green rings sail down from the sky where it rose. Monoceros sails through them. "Feel the winds blow, and watch the storm clouds up above rumble with electricity, as I synchro-summon, Thunder Unicorn!" Andre says. His new beast is a big blue unicorn, with a yellow mane and tail, whose horn is a solid lightning bolt.

Thunder Unicorn is a light-attribute beast-type monster with twenty-two-hundred attack points and eighteen-hundred defense points.

"That unicorn wouldn't scare a mouse! He's no match for my Red Dragon Archfiend!" Says Jack.

"Very true, Jack! Right now he's not, but once a turn, Thunder Unicorn can lower your monster's attack points by five hundred for every non-Thunder Unicorn monster that happens to be out on my field!" Andre says.

"So what, you only have one non-Thunder-Unicorn out. Do the math, my Archfiend will still be strongest!" Says Jack.

"Not if ya do the math with Monoceros's special ability! An ability that I can activate from my grave. Ya see, when Monoceros is used to synchro-summon along with a beast-type tuner monster, I can then resurrect that tuner monster! Welcome back once again, Uni-Horned Familar! Now there are two non-Thunder Unicorn monsters on my field!" Andre says. Thunder Unicorn levels its spiky horn at Archfiend, and fires a whirlwind from it, slamming Jack's dragon in the chest. "Meaning your Red Dragon Archfiend's attack points decrease to two thousand!" Says Andre.

"No!" Jack says.

Andre swerves around to glide backwards, directing his attack. "Now go, Thunder Unicorn! Attack with Supercharger Bolt!" Says Andre. Unicorn slices with its horn and destroys Archfiend.

The resulting damage leaves Jack with 800 lifepoints, and it hurts. "Aaaaggghhh! No way! My very best monster, and it's already destroyed!" Jack says.

"Oh my word!" Says Minako. "Jack!" Both Carly and Stephanie say. "Huh?" Asks all three of them. The three have finally noticed each other. "Step off, Carly! I'm rooting for Jack, got it?!" Minako asks. "Oh, please, I've been rooting for him longer than you have!" Says Carly. "Both of you be quiet! Jack is all mine!" Stephanie says. "And who are you?" Asks both Minako and Carly. "Uh..." Stephanie says. And all three huffily look away from each other. "Hmph!" Says all three of them.

"Andre's simply playing lights-out! I'd say that 'The Deck' is a complete and total success so far, wouldn't you agree, Jean?" Breo asks. "'Course I would. But, I'm not surprised. After all, it took weeks of meticulous study to assemble those cards. Each and every duel scenario Andre may encounter against Jack has been thought out and played through. He has no chance!" Says Jean. Breo shivers, dramatically. "Ugh! No chance? Boy, ya give me goosebumps when ya talk like that!" Breo says.

Bruno's laptop screen shows live camera of Jack riding, a schematic blueprint of his runner, and several real-time line graphs and statistics. A piece of the schematic, right below the dashboard against the wheel, lights up red with a warning sound. Bruno gasps. "Agh! Skylara! Take a look." Says Bruno. The screen zooms in to show only the schematic. "What is it?" Skylara asks. "Something's entered Jack's air intake. Skylara, you're the leader of this team, so it's your call. But, I'd recommend taking a pit stop to check it out." Says Bruno. "It will cost us some speed counters. However, you are right, safety first." Skylara says.

"I place one card face down and end my turn." Says Andre.

"I'll tell you what else is coming to an end, your lead in this duel! Because the master of faster is about to shift into overdrive!" Jack says. Then he spots the twins waiting over by the trackside railing near the booth.

Luna is holding up the pit stop sign, a big red arrow, and Leo is waving with both arms.

The two runners zoom past. _"_

 _Oh, you've got to be kidding me, a pit stop?! Come on! I was just getting fired up! They'll have to wait!"_ Jack thinks to himself, startled and upset.

"Uhmm, either Jack's brakes aren't working or he's completely ignoring us!" Says Bruno.

"I summon Mad Archfiend!" Jack says. Mad Archfiend has 1800 attack points and is a level 4 monster. "Next, I'll activate the trap, 'Powerful Rebirth'! Now, I get to summon a level-four-or-below monster from my grave, and thanks to 'Rebirth', its attack and defense points each go up by a hundred, and its level increases by one! The monster I choose to summon is Dark Resonator! Come on out!" Says Jack. Dark Resonator has 1300 attack points and is a level 3 monster. By 'Powerful Rebirth's' effect, Dark Resonator's attack points increase to 1400 and its level increases to 4. "Next, I'll activate another trap, it's called 'Rage Resynchro'! Now, by sending monsters that have the power to make a synchro monster to my grave, I can summon a synchro monster from my grave, with a five-hundred-attack-point bonus!" Jack says. Dark Resonator forms into green rings for Mad Archfiend's row of stars. "So, go, level-four Dark Resonator and level-four Mad Archfiend! To the graveyard with ya! But your banishing won't be in vain, with your demise, new life is given, and given to a great and mighty monster! Rise again, Red Dragon Archfiend!" Says Jack. Archfiend's improved attack point total is 3500.

"Whoa, he's got thirty-five-hundred attack points?!" Andre asks.

"That's right! And he's about to use them all on you! Go, Archfiend!" Says Jack.

"I play my face down card, 'Dimension Trap'! Now, by removing one monster on my field and one trap card in my grave from play, I can use the effect of the trap card I just removed!" Andre says.

"You can do what?!" Asks Jack.

"I now remove Uni-Horned Familiar and 'Different Dimension Barrier-Lost Force' from play! And now, I'm allowed to use the effect of 'Lost Force'. And you know what that means." Andre says. The shimmering barrier forms again, this time around Thunder Unicorn. "The attack you just waged with Archfiend is negated, and you take damage equal to its attack points!" Says Andre.

"Rrgh!" Jack growls under his breath.

"No, Jack! You've got to call off the attack!" Yusei says. "If this goes through, he's finished!" Says Crow.

Jean and Breo are watching, confidently.

"Waaaaughhh! Bring it on, Andre! 'Cause this time I'm ready!" Jack says. Archfiend roars, its eyes as fierce as his own. "I activate the trap 'Overpower'. This card negates the effect of a card that cancels a monster's attack, so say goodbye to your 'Dimension Trap'!" Says Jack. The barrier around Thunder Unicorn dissipates, and it's vulnerable once again. "Now, Red Dragon Archfiend has you back in his sights!" Jack says.

Archfiend punches, and destroys Thunder Unicorn. Andre takes the hit, down to 2700 lifepoints.

"Wow. Not bad." Says Breo. "Counterattacking from those dire straits, no, not bad at all. Ya gotta give Jack some credit." Jean says.

Crow breathes a sigh of relief. Bruno and Skylara are watching the screen without blinking. "That took some years off my life!" Says Bruno. "Yes, that was a close call. However, I'm afraid it isn't what is bothering me most right now." Skylara says. "Whadda you mean? What're you talking about, Skylara?" Asks Akiza. "She's talking about the type of deck that Andre's using. It's not a power deck, like we originally thought. It's a deck built for countering power." Yusei says. "But, what about when Skylara dueled him?" Asks Crow.

Flashback. Among Andre's super-tough array of monsters were Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest and Behemoth the King of All Animals, both looming over Skylara ready to pounce. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "Wait a second, could it be that Team Unicorn had this all planned out?!" Crow asks. Skylara is silent.

Flashback. "And so far, the show's going according to script!" Says Jean. "Huh?" Crow asks. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "I think you're right, Crow. Team Unicorn's been playing us from the start." Says Yusei. "Playing us from the start? How?" Luna asks. "I shall tell you how, it wasn't just some accident that they challenged us to a duel at that practice." Says Skylara. "Wait, so then! You're saying when Breo fell in front of me, that was planned on purpose?!" Crow asks. "Yes, to make us think a certain way." Says Skylara. "Say what?" Crow asks, blankly. "Team Unicorn wanted us to think that Andre would be dueling first for them, and be using a power deck in that duel. Because if we thought that, then we would most likely select Jack to be the first duelist for our team." Says Skylara. "Of course! Because Jack uses a power deck! But, you're saying Team Unicorn wanted us to do that, because they had a special anti-power deck all ready to go!" Bruno says. "So then, they've been planning and training for this duel with Jack since back then, and probably even before?" Asks Akiza. Yusei nods. "Mm-hmm." Yusei says. All of them turn and look over at Breo and Jean in the Team Unicorn booth.

Jean and Breo have noticed. "Judging from those suspicious scowls, I'd say they just realized how we duped them." Says Breo. "So what? What can they do now? Jack Atlas's defeat is all but certain!" Jean says.

"Way to hang in there! But, I wouldn't get your hopes up about winning this or anything! I mean, sure you were great in your day, but that day has passed! Now, you're nothing but a washed-up has-been!" Says Andre.

"Has-been?! You arrogant little punk, I can't wait to mop the floor with you!" Jack says.

"Oh please, even your insults are predictable!" Says Andre.

"What's that mean?" Jack asks.

"It means, I knew you were going to do what you just did, Jack! That's why I had this card ready, 'Parallel Select'! Thanks to this trap, when a synchro monster on the field is destroyed, I can add one card that was removed from play to my hand. And the card I'm adding back, is the speed spell 'End of the Storm'!" Says Andre.

"What?!" Jack asks.

"No way!" Says Yusei.

"My turn!" Andre says.

"Jack's lifepoints are down to a mere eight hundred. An' Andre has four speed counters. So, ya know what that means!" Says Jean.

"I play the effect of 'Speed World Two'! Now by removing four speed counters, you take eight hundred points of damage for every speed spell card that I possess in my hand!" Andre says.

"Ugh!" Says Jack.

Andre goes into a sideways skid and turns around to glide backwards, pointing the drill-shaped horn on the front of his runner right at Jack. "In other words, you lose!" Andre says. A blazing blue beam of light erupts from the tip of the horn and it strikes the front of Jack's runner.

Jack's exterior vents pop open, trailing steam, and his lifepoints decrease to 0. He seems to be drifting to a halt, then his runner seems to jump, the wheel stops rotating, and Jack spins out of control! "Oh no!" Says Jack. The piece on the side of his runner that Skylara and Bruno were concerned about earlier is fizzing with ominous blue sparks, then it explodes with a pop and a stream of smoke. Jack's runner spins like a top, completely out of control, then tips over and bounces on its back fin, throwing him off of it, straight up into the air, as it flips over entirely.

Skylara, Yusei, Akiza, the twins, Crow and Bruno gasp, panicked.

Minako, Carly and Stephanie gasp, in unison, horrified.

Jack has been propelled skyward from his faltering runner, out of sight.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7: Trouble For Team 6D's_

The Kaibadome stadium track glows in the dimmed light.

Down on the track, Jack falls from his runner, as it crashes to the ground and flips over.

"Oh, my word!" The announcer says. He's watching the drama play out on the Sphere. "Jack Atlas's duel runner has just been decimated! Let's hope he's okay!" Says the announcer.

"Jack!" Crow says. "If only ya'd taken that pit stop like we asked!" Says Bruno. Skylara leaves the booth, running.

"Skylara?" Leo asks.

Jack lies face-down on the ground, trembling, fighting to lift his head.

"Jack, are you alright?!" Asks Skylara. She is running out onto the track toward him.

"Stay back!" Jack says.

Skylara stops short. "Hm?" Asks Skylara.

Jack is struggling to his knees. "You know the rules, Skylara! If you touch a teammate's duel runner during the course of the match, the team's disqualified! So, just turn around and get back to the pit booth! Now!" Jack says.

"But, Jack..." Says Skylara.

"No buts! Please go!" Jack says. He's pushing his runner to an upright position, slowly, he's going to try to keep going!

The crowd watches the Sphere, anxiously.

"Unbelievable! Jack is attempting to right his wrecked runner all by himself!" Says the announcer.

Jack rises halfway to his feet, leaning on his runner for balance, pushing it forward, slowly and painfully, with an effort of sheer will. As he glares toward his goal, resolutely, Jack's helmet visor has been cracked away near his left eye.

"And he had better hurry, because unless he can make it to the lap line in time! Team Six-Ds' next duelist won't be able to take the field! And that means game over!" The announcer says.

Andre races past Jack on his runner, lapping him.

"Can Jack Atlas pass the baton to Akiza Izinski?" Asks the announcer.

The twins, Bruno, Crow, Yusei and Akiza watch from the booth.

Skylara rejoins them.

"Or will she and Team Six-D's be forced to watch the tournament on the television!" The announcer says.

Jean and Breo watch from Team Unicorn's booth. "He'll never make it. This duel is all ours." Says Jean.

Jack keeps struggling along.

Up in the stands, the twins' classmates are watching, anxiously.

Minako, Carly and Stephanie are on their feet, worried. "Ohh, Jack!" Carly says. "Poor guy!" Says Stephanie. "He's hurt!" Minako. All three turn to Trudge, who's sitting on the aisle. "What?" Asks Trudge. "Move it, Trudge!" All three girls say. "Whatever you say!" Says Trudge, intimidated.

Backstage, some poor WRGP security guy, in a green jacket, turns to see the three women run up the hallway. He tries to block them. "Sorry, ladies, can't letcha through here!"

Minako doesn't break her stride, flashing her badge in his face. "Sector Security, I'm coming through!" Minako says.

Carly flashes a badge next as she runs past. "Freedom a' the press!" Says Carly.

Stephanie stops short and rummages in the pockets of her hoodie, nervously, she doesn't have any special badge! "Umm." Stephanie says. She checks all of her pockets, frantically, then her purse, and pulls out… "Here! Free coffee coupon! Enjoy!" Says Stephanie, cutesy. She runs past.

Leaving the guy, in the green jacket, not quite knowing what hit him.

Out on the track, Andre rounds another curve.

"And as Jack Atlas painstakingly pushes his duel runner towards the lap line, Andre of Team Unicorn tears around the track!" The announcer says.

"This'll be a close one." Says Yusei. "What will?" Leo asks. "According to the Grand Prix rules, for every lap a team falls behind, the opposing team gains a speed counter. Team Unicorn's speed counters are already at the maximum of twelve. So for every lap they gain, our speed counters will decrease by one." Says Bruno. "Huh?" Both Leo and Luna asks. "But, we only have four counters. What happens if we go down to zero?" Asks Leo. "If our speed counter tally drops down to zero, then we are going to be disqualified." Skylara says. "Say what?!" Asks both Leo and Luna.

"This couldn't have turned out better for us. Not only will Team Six-D's lose, but it will be a slow and painful loss. Andre just needs to complete four more laps and we'll have won!" Jean says.

Andre keeps riding.

While Jack keeps struggling forward.

Leo and Crow run out to wait on the other side of the line. "Jack, ya gotta hurry up!" Says Leo. "Come on, dig deep!" Crow says.

Andre zooms by again.

"Ugh..." Says Jack.

 _"Just three more!"_ Andre thinks to himself.

Akiza is watching the monitor in the booth, worriedly. Skylara grips her shoulder. "Akiza. It is time to duel." Skylara says. "Right." Says Akiza. She hops off of the booth chair and walks away toward her runner.

Andre keeps tearing up the track.

Akiza dons her helmet.

Andre zooms along.

Akiza mounts her runner and its sides rise into place, ready to go.

Jack is feet away from the line.

Andre roars past again.

Jack's speed counter on the scoreboard drops to 2.

"Just two more!" Jean says.

Akiza clasps her hands over the dashboard of her runner, waiting at the starting line. "Are you nervous?" Asks Skylara. "Huh?" Akiza asks. She looks up at Skylara, then down at her clasped hands. "Yeah." Says Akiza, tensely. Skylara points. "Look." Skylara says. Akiza looks, her parents are sitting in the front row, watching her. "Huh? Mom? Dad?" Asks Akiza.

Flashback. Akiza sits across the coffee table from her parents, in the same drawing room in which she used to duel with her dad. "Turbo-dueling? But Akiza, it's so dangerous." Mrs. Izinski says. "I know. But Mom, dueling is what I love, it's my dream! And if I don't do this, I'll regret it for the rest of my life!" Says Akiza. Senator Izinski is the first to nod, smiling ruefully. "You're right. Go and follow your dream, Akiza. Follow you dream and make me and your mother proud!" Senator Izinski says. Akiza blinked, surprised. "Huh?" Asks Akiza. She now has a big smile. "Thank you! I will." Akiza says. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "Go make your parents proud, Akiza." Says Skylara. "Thanks, I'll try." Akiza says.

"Ooooh, the tension!" Says the announcer.

Andre coasts past the lap line again.

As Jack inches toward where Akiza waits with the rest of the team, just past the line. Their speed counter beeps down to 1.

"Team Unicorn needs to only complete one more lap, or the injured Jack Atlas needs to only crawl a few more feet! Who will prevail?!" The announcer asks.

"You're almost there, Jack!" Says Leo. "You got it, Jack!" Luna says. "Just a little more!" Says Bruno.

Jack plants another foot, forcing his heavy runner to move.

Andre races onward.

Jack noses toward the line.

Andre rounds another curve.

Jack groans a yell of effort that ends in a vocal crack, shoving his runner toward the end, and steps across the line. Jack rips the adhesive team badge from his own shoulder, and lunges forward with a piteous, cracking groan of effort, to fall to his knees, dramatically, one hand poignantly outstretched to place the badge into Akiza's waiting hand.

Out on the track, Andre rounds the last curve, heading toward the lap line.

"He did it! But, how fast can Akiza kick off?!" The announcer asks.

Akiza places the badge on her arm, taps her pedal and twists her grip, and peels out, tires squealing.

She joins Andre neck-and-neck, as he passes the booths.

"Whoa, pretty fast, I'll say! And it's a good thing, because to make the switch official, Akiza must reach the corner turn quicker than Andre, otherwise all will be lost!" Says the announcer.

Skylara is watching from the starting line, intently.

Akiza's wheel is just barely behind Andre's, as they race toward the all-important first curve.

"This is gonna be close! Unless Akiza can make it to the corner turn before Andre, Jack will still be considered Team Six-Ds' duelist! And that means they'll lose!" The announcer says.

The front wheels of the two runners approach the curve line. Slow-motion, reverse-color.

Akiza is ahead of Andre by mere inches, and, crosses the line! Team 6D's has successfully switched duelists. Into the curve, Akiza pulls well ahead of Andre and his Unicorn Knight.

"Yeah!" Says Leo, Luna and Crow.

"She did it! Team Six-D's is still in this match!" The announcer says.

Trudge, the twins' classmates and Akiza's parents watch, proudly.

"Now the question is, can Akiza contend with Team Unicorn's Andre, and even up the score!" Says the announcer.

Jack, still in his battered helmet, is leaning on Skylara, one arm over her shoulder. Chibi Chibi is standing before her future-to-be-parents and is looking up at them. Instead of the smiley, giggly little girl she usually is, Chibi Chibi has tears forming in her eyes. "Dada..." Chibi Chibi says, sadly. Jack is trying to attempt a smile for her. "It's okay, Chibi Chibi. Daddy's just a little banged up, but I'm going to be fine." Says Jack. "Jack, take it easy on yourself." Skylara says. "I knew you could do it, Akiza...! Skylara… look after her." Says Jack. Then he abruptly faints, with a small sigh. "Jack!" Skylara says. "Dada!" Says Chibi Chibi, with tears running down her cheeks. Skylara calls over her shoulder to a pair of green-jacketed tournament guys, who already have a gurney ready nearby. "Quick, he needs help!" Skylara says.

"I-I'm on it!"

"No, we're on it!" Says Minako, Carly and Stephanie. They rush onto the scene. Minako and Carly literally throw the green jackets out of their way. "Outta the way!" Minako says. "Yeah, move it, bozo!" Says Carly.

"He may need mouth-to-mouth!" Skylara says.

"Great!" Says Minako, Carly and Stephanie, enthusiastically.

 _"Akiza may've out-accel'ed me on this first turn, but she won't be able to out-duel me! She's goin' down just like Jack did!"_ Andre thinks to himself.

"My turn! And first, I'll summon to the field Phoenixian Seed!" Akiza says. Phoenixian Seed has 800 attack points, 0 defense points, is a level 2 monster and is a fire type monster. "But for this seed to sprout, I must now send it to the grave, because then I'm allowed to summon Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis from my hand!" Says Akiza.

Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis is a level-eight plant-type monster, with twenty-two-hundred attack points and zero defense points.

"Now, Phoenixian Amaryllis, let's show that Unicorn Knight some real flower-power!" Akiza says.

Amaryllis fires on Unicorn Knight, and blasts it out of the sky. Andre's lifepoints are now 2300.

"And now, Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis's special ability activates! Ya see, whenever she attacks, she's destroyed. And whenever she's destroyed, she destroys an eight-hundred-point chunk of your lifepoints, too!" Says Akiza.

Amaryllis fires on Andre next, further decreasing his lifepoints to 1500. _"Not bad. She's got skills."_ Andre thinks to himself.

"Next, I'll place one card face down and end my turn. But, that doesn't end things for Amaryllis. Because now by removing one plant-type monster in my graveyard from play, she's resurrected back to the field." Akiza says. Phoenixian Seed is removed from play, and Amaryllis reappears, petals folded meekly in defense mode. "Welcome back, Phoenixian Cluster!" Says Akiza.

The crowd cheers.

"Go, Akiza!" Crow says. "Yeah, she sure showed him!" Says Leo.

"Well, well, well! She started off quick." Breo says. "She had to. Andre has twelve speed counters and that means, he can use any and all speed spells. That gives 'im a huge advantage! You'll see! Once Andre takes his turn, he'll also take control of this duel and Akiza won't stand a chance! Anybody can start off a duel strongly. " Says Jean.

Andre's pursuing Akiza around the track.

Akiza looks tense, she knows that next round is going to be rough.

Andre looks resolved, ready to fight.

"It's how you finish that really matters, though." Jean says. "You got a point, Jean. Especially, since Andre still has that 'End a' the Storm' speed spell card. It's like you said, since he has twelve speed counters, he's free to use it, which means he's free to destroy all monsters on the field, and deliver three hundred points of damage for each of those monsters to whoever owns them. Right now, Andre has no monsters out. So, Akiza would be the only one affected." Says Breo.

 _"If Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis's ability is activated again, it will deal me eight hundred points of damage. That'll leave me with seven hundred lifepoints left. However, once Akiza has four speed counters, she'll be able to use the effect of 'Speed World Two' and take out my remaining seven hundred. So clearly, what Akiza is hoping for, is that I'll destroy her Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis!"_ Andre thinks to himself.

Ahead, Akiza is also strategizing silently, watching him over her shoulder. _"What I'm hoping for, is that Andre destroys Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis. Either with a monster, or with the 'End of the Storm' card."_ Akiza thinks to herself.

 _"What to do, what to do! Well, not what Akiza wants me to do, that's for sure!"_ Andre thinks to himself. "My turn!" Andre says. _"This'll come in handy."_ Andre thinks to himself. "I'm activating the speed spell known as 'Dash Pilfer'! With this, since I have at least four speed counters, I'm allowed to take control of a monster of yours that's in defense mode!" Says Andre.

"Huh?" Akiza asks. She looks up at Cluster Amaryllis.

Then it glows, disappears from her field, and reappears next to Andre. "Next I summon, Unibird!" Says Andre. Unibird has 100 attack points, 600 defense points, is a level 2 monster and is a wind type monster. "And now, I'll play his ability. See, by removing Unibird from play and a monster on my field from play, I can summon a synchro from my graveyard, as long as its level isn't higher than the monster I just removed!" Andre says.

 _"Oh, no. Not only did he not use 'End of the Storm', but he took control of my monster and took it out of play! Now, I have no way to deal him any damage!"_ Akiza thinks to herself.

"Introducing the synchro I'm summoning back, Thunder Unicorn!" Says Andre. The stars float together into a cloud, some line up, the rest disperse. Out of the summoning light, Thunder Unicorn gallops onto the field once again. Thunder Unicorn has 2200 attack points and is a level 5 monster. "Thunder Unicorn, go! Attack, with Supercharger Bolt!" Andre says. Unicorn lowers its lightning horn and charges.

Akiza looks over her shoulder, panicked. The horn strikes her squarely in the back, and she slumps over her runner, then toughens up again, her lifepoints falling to 1800.

"And now, I'll end my turn with a face down!" Says Andre.

"All right! Andre took Akiza's Amaryllis out of play without activating its ability, and summoned a monster!" Breo says. "Of course Andre could've won the match this turn, if he'd used the effect of 'Speed World Two'." Says Jean. "Uh, yeah. With 'Dash Pilfer' and 'The End of the Storm', he had two speed spells. With 'Speed World Two's' effect, for every four speed counters he removed, he would've dealt eight hundred points of damage per speed spell. In other words, he could've dealt sixteen-hundred points of damage three times over!" Breo says. "Ri-ight, but had Andre done that, he would've then had to face Skylara Galatea without any speed counters." Says Jean. "So that's why he held back! To be ready for Skylara." Breo says.

Over to the other pit booth. Skylara's holding Chibi Chibi in her arms, as she tears into her future-to-be-mother's chest. "Akiza started with a bang, but now she's getting all banged up!" Says Luna. "Ugh! Tell us it's not hopeless, Skylara!" Leo says. Skylara's almost smiling, as she's also trying to console her future-to-be-daughter. "It isn't. Akiza and I hatched a secret plan before she went out." Says Skylara. "Whadda you mean, 'secret plan'?" Crow asks. "Just watch the duel, Crow." Says Skylara. _"Come on, Akiza. Just wait for the right moment."_ Skylara thinks to herself.

 _"Andre has every advantage right now. Except for one, and it's one he'll never see coming."_ Akiza thinks to herself. She smiles. _"I mean, I sure didn't!"_ Akiza thinks to herself.

Flashback. Akiza looks up at Skylara from her runner. "I'm off!" Akiza says, trying to sound cheerful instead of nervous. Skylara offers her a card. "Here." Says Skylara. "Huh?" Akiza asks. "Go on, take it, Akiza." Says Skylara. Akiza accepts the card, tentatively, looks at it, and immediately offers it back. "But, Skylara, are you sure?" Akiza asks. "I know it isn't the most obvious duel strategy. However, that is what makes it perfect. Now, get out there..." Says Skylara. Her smile radiates pride and confidence. "And win this duel like I know you can!" Skylara says. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. Akiza smiles, reminiscently. _"Skylara may think I can win this duel, but I'm pretty sure that she's the only one who does right now. Oh, well, guess that means I've got nothing to lose. And when you've got nothing to lose, you've got everything to gain!"_ Akiza thinks to herself. "It's my draw!" Says Akiza. _"All right! This'll work!"_ Akiza thinks to herself. "From my hand, I summon Witch of the Black Forest!" Akiza says. Witch of the Black Rose has 1700 attack points, 1200 defense points, is a level 4 monster and is a dark type monster. "And this witch is brewing up something special, because now that she's summoned, I can draw another card from my deck!" Says Akiza. She draws and shows Rose Fairy. Witch of the Black Rose is waving her staff, showering Akiza in purple sparkles. "And it looks like the card I drew is Rose Fairy. And since this card was added to my hand by way of a monster's special ability, I can now summon it!" Akiza says. Rose Fairy has 600 attack points, is a level 3 monster and is a wind type monster. "Next, I activate the 'Speed Spell-Angel Baton'! And since I have four speed counters, I can now draw two cards from my deck, as long as I then discard one. And the card that I'm banishing to my graveyard is Glow-Up Bulb. Now, level-four Witch of the Black Forest, tune with level-three Rose Fairy!" Says Akiza. Rose Fairy flits upward into the sky, and Witch of the Black Rose dissolves into stars and follows. Rose Fairy soars through the four aligning green rings, turning into golden outlines and bright stars. "Let the spirit of the earth intertwine with the essence of the sky! I synchro-summon, the Black Rose Dragon!" Akiza says. Black Rose Dragon has 2400 attack points and is a level 8 monster.

 _"So, it's here. Akiza's most ultimate monster. This should be interesting."_ Andre thinks to himself.

"But, I'm not done yet. Next, I activate my trap card 'Star Siphon'! Thanks to this card, when a synchro monster is summoned to the field, I get to summon a Star Siphon Token. And then, I'm allowed to swap levels with it!" Says Akiza. Black Rose Dragon swaps levels with the token, making it level 1 and the token level 8. "Next, by sending the top card on my deck to the graveyard, I'm allowed to grow back this old friend, Glow-Up Bulb! Go, level-one Glow-up Bulb! Tune with level-seven Star Siphon Token!" Akiza says. Glow-Up Bulb traces a single glowing ring around the Star Siphon Token. The eight stars align at the center of the ring... "Now, out of two will come one, and out of one will come great darkness!" Says Akiza.

"No way!" Crow says. "Is it...?!" Asks Leo. "Can't be...!" Luna says.

"This one's for you, Skylara." Says Akiza.

Skylara smiles, proudly, she did it!

"I synchro-summon, Cynder the Black Dragon!" Akiza says. Cynder takes to the sky, born of the aligning stars, her wings trailing twin streams of darkness, hovering in the sky beside Black Rose Dragon, ready to gang up on Andre. Cynder the Black Dragon has 2900 attack points and is a level 8 monster.

"Impossible!" Says Andre.

"Cynder the Black Dragon?!" Jean asks.

"Hm. That's right. I betcha didn't see that coming. But, before I get to her! Here, feel the wrath of Black Rose Dragon!" Says Akiza.

Andre looks up, Black Rose Dragon's petaled wings all but block out the sun. She vaporizes Thunder Unicorn with a breath of purple flame, and blasts Andre's lifepoints down to 1300. "Ugh!" Andre says.

"Oh, no! If this next attack gets through then…" Says Breo. "You'd better start suiting up." Jean says. "I'll say!" Says Breo. He runs away from the booth.

Jean keeps watching.

"All right!" Crow says. "Yeah! Go, Akiza!" Says Leo.

"Now to end this. Cynder the Black Dragon, attack! Huh?" Akiza asks.

"You can't attack, the battle phase is already over." Says Andre.

Akiza's runner screen shows an X over a readout that indicates turn phase.

"Because I played this! The trap 'Dimension Equilibrium'!" Andre says.

"Huh?" Asks Akiza.

"With this card, when a monster is destroyed in battle, by removing the monster that did the initial attacking from play, I can resurrect the monster that was destroyed!" Andre says. Black Rose Dragon gets sucked into the sky, and Thunder Unicorn bursts onto the field once again. "Now then, go right ahead and end your turn." Says Andre.

"Very well, you've bought some time. I'll place two cards face down to end the round!" Akiza says.

The crowd is cheering, watching her on the Sphere.

Breo breathes a sigh of relief. "That was a close one!" Says Breo. Jean is watching Skylara, who doesn't notice. _"Skylara Galatea. Even when you're not on the field dueling, you're still a threat. Fine, then."_ Jean thinks to himself. He raises a single finger, signaling the flunky responsible for Team Unicorn's pit stop sign. The flunky hurries to comply, pressing a few buttons before holding out the sign. Not able to see what's on the front of it as he holds it out to signal Andre when the riders drive past.

 _"Jean wants me to quit holding back and end the duel. Guess he wants to face Skylara here and now."_ Andre thinks to himself. He looks ahead at Cynder, looming over the track. _"And I don't blame 'im. At least, if we get 'er on the field we can take 'er on directly and not just her monsters!"_ Andre thinks to himself. "My turn! I activate the 'Speed Spell-Speed Energy'! With this card, I multiply the number of speed counters I have by two hundred, and then I'm allowed to add that total to the attack points of one of my monsters! I have twelve speed counters! So, that's twenty-four-hundred attack points for Thunder Unicorn!" Andre says. Thunder Unicorn's new attack point total is a punishing 4600.

"Forty-six-hundred?! This may be it!" Says Akiza. Cynder the Black Dragon looms over the field, even though Skylara herself has yet to appear.

"Now go, Thunder Unicorn! Attack with Supercharger Bolt!" Andre says. Thunder Unicorn gallops for Cynder the Black Dragon...

"I activate the trap 'Half Counter'!" Says Akiza.

Unicorn's horn strikes Cynder and lightning fills the air.

"Thanks to 'Half Counter', half of Thunder Unicorn's original attack points are now added to Cynder the Black Dragon!" Akiza says. This makes Cynder the Black Dragon now 3900 attack points stronger, still not stronger than Thunder Unicorn, but stronger. Unicorn bursts forward and strikes through Cynder, destroying her, leaping high into the air.

Akiza cries out, as she's hit with the shards of its destruction. "Aaaaaaahhh!" Akiza's down to 800 lifepoints now.

"Akiza!" Says Leo. "She's only got eight hundred lifepoints left." Bruno says. "Yeah, an' Andre has twelve speed counters and plenty of speed spells, too." Says Crow. _"Akiza!"_ Yusei thinks to himself.

"This battle is over." Jean says.

 _"If I'm going down, it's not going to be for nothing!"_ Akiza thinks to herself.

"I activate the effect of 'Speed World Two'! Now by removing four speed counters, for every speed spell in my hand, you take eight hundred points of damage!" Says Andre. He raises 'Speed Spell-The End of the Storm'. "And that's just enough to finish you off! So…" Andre says.

"I activate the trap 'Wicked Rebirth'!" Says Akiza.

"What?!" Andre asks.

"Now by paying eight hundred lifepoints, I can revive a synchro monster from my graveyard, so long as its special ability is negated." Says Akiza. Her lifepoints decrease to 0.

The entire Team 6D's pit booth gasps as one.

So do Breo and Jean.

Akiza's parents, and the crowd around them, are watching, bemused.

Skylara is frowning.

"Return to the field, Cynder the Black Dragon!" Akiza says. Cynder soars out of a portal in the sky above her, reborn. The steam vents on the front and sides of Akiza's runner pop open, leaving a trail of steam behind her as she glides beneath Cynder to the relay line.

"Absolutely amazing! Akiza took herself out, but not before bringing out Cynder the Black Dragon!" Says the announcer.

Thunder Unicorn's attack points return to their original level. _"Clever girl. She tricked me into using my speed counters, and set the stage for Skylara with that Cynder the Black Dragon at the same time! Talk about taking one for the team."_ Andre thinks to himself.

Akiza looks down at her dash, face hidden by her helmet, as she glides to the relay line, where Skylara is already waiting on her runner and the rest of the crew with her. The sides of her runner deactivate. "I'm sorry, Skylara. I tried my very best, but I failed you. I failed you all." Akiza says. "That's not true!" Says Leo. He hurries away toward Skylara with the cards that were on her duel disk.

Bruno peels the relay sticker off her arm and moves it to Skylara's. "Yeah, Leo's right. How could you have failed? We haven't lost anything yet! And if Skylara finds herself too weakened or too injured at some point during the duel, Yusei can then take over for her from there." Bruno says. Leo places Cynder the Black Dragon in one of Skylara's monster card zones, and Akiza's unactivated face down in the matching spell/trap slot. Skylara rests a hand on them, reverently. "And thanks to your sacrifice, Akiza! We aren't going be losing, either!" Says Skylara. She hands Chibi Chibi over to Yusei, who takes her and holds her in his arms, she seems to have calmed down by now, with tear trails running down her face. "Watch over my daughter, Yusei." Skylara says. Yusei nods. Skylara lowers the visor on her helmet, and Leo and Bruno step away, as she takes off, Cynder swooping after her.

Akiza's fists clench on her dashboard, and tears drip onto them from her cheeks. "Akiza?" Asks Luna. Tears roll unchecked down Akiza's cheeks. Crow taps her shoulder, tentatively. "Hey..." Crow says. Yusei then grips her other shoulder. Akiza looks up at Yusei. "It's fine. See for yourself!" Says Yusei. Akiza follows his gaze toward the stands.

Several people are staring, bemused, Akiza's dad, in his usual dignified, boring, gray business suit, is standing on his chair, waving a great big 6D's banner, all senatorial dignity forgotten. "Way to go! Haha! Akiza!" Senator Izinski says. The people stare, then one young woman starts applauding, tentatively. Others glance at her, surprised, then join in, smiling. The applause spreads. "Haha!" "You did great, Akiza!" "Well done!" "Yeah!" "Way to go, Akiza!"

Akiza stares up at the crowd, startled out of her tears. She looks down, a bit embarrassed at the praise, in a quiet moment surrounded by friends. _"Wow, they still like me! Thanks, mom. Thanks, dad. Thanks, everyone."_ Akiza thinks to herself.

The announcer is sobbing, sentimentally. Somebody taps his shoulder, and he recovers, enthusiastically, stomping one foot up on the desk. "Ahh! And now, on with the duel! And what a duel this has become! Andre has taken down Team Six-Ds' first two duelists, leaving just Skylara Galatea left!" Says the announcer.

Skylara pursues Andre and his Thunder Unicorn, Cynder at her back.

Andre watches Skylara over his shoulder, warily.

Skylara's eyes are hidden by her visor.

"So to win this match, Skylara doesn't just need to take down Andre, but she'll need to take down Andre's two teammates, too! Can she do it? Only she isn't entirely alone, if she can't go on and continue, she can tag in her younger half-twin brother Yusei Fudo to finish off for her! The only challenge with that is if that happens to be the case, then Yusei cannot use his own deck to finish the duel or regain a full four thousand lifepoints, he must continue with whatever cards and lifepoints she ends up having left! Will Skylara be able to finish this on her own? Or will she have to tag in Yusei to finish this for her? We're about to find out!" The announcer says.

Andre rides ahead of Skylara and Cynder, Thunder Unicorn galloping behind.


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8: The Edge Of Elimination: Part 1_

The crowd is cheering. "Team Six-D's, who started this tournament as one of its top contenders, is now teetering on the edge of elimination!" The announcer says.

The twins watch over Bruno's shoulder, nervously, as he types on one of the laptops.

"Is it conceivable that they could come up with a come-back?!" Asks the announcer.

Team Unicorn's pit crew has even stopped working to watch what will happen next. "That's the question duelists and duel devotees are asking! However, the answer to that intriguing query is far from figured out!" The announcer says.

Out on the track, Andre glares over his shoulder, tauntingly, his lifepoints stand at 1300.

Skylara steadily faces down the challenge, with 4000 lifepoints. Cynder soars above her shoulder.

"After all, even though Skylara has inherited speed counters and cards from her teammate Akiza, and even though she has her most menacing monster, Cynder the Black Dragon, out on the field, she's still just one duelist who will have to defeat three in order to wrangle the win away from Team Unicorn! Unless, she decides to tag in Yusei to finish things, that is! Otherwise, she's mostly on her own! Talk about a tough row to hoe!" Says the announcer.

Trudge, Dexter, Bob, Sly and Patty watch from the stands, anxiously.

So do Akiza's parents.

Somewhere behind the booths, near where the team's other three runners are parked, Akiza sits on a bench moping.

Yusei appears, with Chibi Chibi in one arm and a lightly steaming cup of what might be coffee in his other hand. "Here ya go, Akiza." Yusei says. "Huh?" Asks Akiza. Yusei just smiles, and she accepts the cup, reluctantly. Yusei sits down on the bench next to her and sits Chibi Chibi in his lap. "Th-thanks, I'm sorry I couldn't do better." Akiza says. "Hm?" Asks Yusei. "It was tough. Every move I made, Andre had a counter for. It was all I could do to keep Skylara's Cynder the Black Dragon on the field. I know that you all took a big chance letting me on the team. And I know how much you guys all want to win this Grand Prix. I wasn't ready." Akiza says. Yusei listens, concerned, and then smiles it off. "Hm. You're right, you weren't ready. But, lemme fill ya in on a little secret." Says Yusei. "Hm?" Akiza asks. "Me, Crow, Jack, an' even Skylara aren't ready for this Grand Prix tourney either. The fact, no duelist in this contest is ready. It's brand-new to everyone, so we're all just learning as we go." Says Yusei. Akiza looks surprised. "Chibi." Chibi Chibi says, cutely. Yusei looks down at her, smiling. He then places one of his hand's on top of Chibi Chibi's head, lightly ruffling her hair. Chibi Chibi smiles up at Yusei, giggling a bit. Akiza smiles. "Your so good with her, Yusei." Says Akiza. "You think so?" Yusei asks. "Yeah. It's just hard to believe she's Skylara and Jack's daughter. Especially, if she came from the future." Says Akiza. "I know. But, Skylara's abilities are pretty precise. So, if she says Chibi Chibi is hers and Jack's daughter and she came from the future. Well, I believe her. Which means, Chibi Chibi here is my niece from the future." Yusei says. Akiza nods. "I believe what Skylara said is true, too." Says Akiza. She smiles down at Chibi Chibi, who looks up at her and smiles back at her, cutely. "Auntie Akiza." Chibi Chibi says, innocently. She then looks back up at Yusei. "Uncle Yusei." Says Chibi Chibi, cutely. "That's right, Chibi Chibi. I'm your uncle and I'll never let anything bad happen to you." Yusei says. Akiza places one of her hands of Chibi Chibi's head, smoothing out her hair a bit. "I won't let anything bad happen to you either, Chibi Chibi." Says Akiza. "Chibi." Chibi Chibi says, happily. "Now, come on. Let's go cheer on Skylara." Says Yusei. Akiza smiles, and they look out toward the track.

As Skylara and Andre race past the booths again.

"You can do it, Skylara!" Leo says. "Get 'im!" Says Luna.

Skylara pursues Andre around the track.

"Andre of Team Unicorn has thirteen-hundred lifepoints left, but waiting in the wings are Breo and Jean, with eight thousand lifepoints ready in reserve! I'm no magician at math, but according to my calculations, that means for Team Six-D's to finish first, either Skylara or Yusei need to knock off a total of ninety-three-hundred points! Possible, but by no means elementary!" The announcer says.

"Huh. I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed in Team Six-D's. I was hoping they'd put up a bit more of a fight." Says Breo. "I know what you mean, Breo. It's been amateur hour from the get-go. But, I will give them this. We wasted four speed counters during that last matchup, yet still, Akiza somehow managed to keep that pesky Cynder the Black Dragon out on the field. Question is, can Skylara take advantage of it? Or will she crash and burn like Jack did, and have to tag in Yusei? It's time to find out!" Jean says.

"It is my turn, Andre! First, I summon out Rapid Warrior!" Says Skylara. Rapid Warrior has 1200 attack points and is a level 4 monster. "And next, I shall have my Cynder the Black Dragon attack Thunder Unicorn!" Skylara says.

Cynder breathes a stream of dark fire, and Thunder Unicorn shatters. Andre's lifepoints decrease to 1000.

"Now go, Rapid Warrior! Direct attack!" Says Skylara.

"Oh my, what a flurry of ferocious attacks! And this one's aimed right at Andre! If this connects, count this as a win for Skylara!" The announcer says.

"She's gonna do it!" Says Leo. "All right, we're about to be back in this match!" Luna says. "Chibi!" Says Chibi Chibi.

"Hm. Sorry, but during the battle phase of the turn in which Thunder Unicorn is destroyed, I can summon it back in attack mode as long as I remove it from play after combat!" Andre says. Thunder Unicorn appears on the field again.

"Whoa, did you know Thunder Unicorn had that special ability?" Asks Luna. "Yeah, now." Leo says. "It'll be all right, Skylara's monster has a nifty special ability of his own." Says Crow.

"When Rapid Warrior attacks your monster, then during the damage step, he gains four hundred attack points. And the damage step begins now!" Skylara says. As Rapid Warrior goes in to attack, his attack points increase to 2200.

"I guess to outmaneuver Skylara, we'll have to start using some of our more advanced tactics." Says Breo. "Yes, indeed. It cost her a monster, but she's gotten rid of Thunder Unicorn for good." Jean says.

Rapid Warrior and Thunder Unicorn slash across each other in midair, and are both destroyed.

"I place one card face down and end my turn." Says Skylara.

The crowd is cheering.

"Team Six-D's is finally fighting back, and the crowd is going crazy! After all, with Andre momentarily out of monsters, and Skylara standing tall with Cynder the Black Dragon, Team Six-D's may've just stolen this match's momentum! But, can they hold onto it?" The announcer asks.

Trudge and the Duel Academy students watch, tensely.

As does everyone in Team 6Ds' pit booth.

"It's my turn now!" Says Andre.

 _"Andre's starting to rack up those speed counters again. And that is bad news..."_ Skylara thinks to herself.

Flashback. Andre reveals a speed spell in his hand, 'The End of the Storm'. _"Seeing as how he still has a certain card in his hand."_ Skylara thinks to herself, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "I know that look, Skylara's worried about that 'End of the Storm' spell." Yusei says. "Huh?" Asks Luna. "'End of the Storm' has the power to change the course of this entire duel. 'Cause if Andre uses it, it'll destroy all the monsters on the field, then for every monster that's destroyed, the owner of that monster will take damage to the tune of three hundred points." Bruno says. "Wait, but Skylara's the only one with a monster on the field right now!" Says Leo. "So, she'd be the only one to take damage!" Luna says.

"About those advanced tactics we were speaking of? I say we start unveiling them. It's time to show the world if you mess with Team Unicorn ya get the horn, and who better to demonstrate that on, than Skylara Galatea?" Asks Jean.

Skylara and Andre race onward.

 _"As much as I'd love to take Skylara Galatea out all by myself, the team must come first!"_ Andre thinks to himself. "I place two cards face down and end my turn!" Andre says.

"Say what?!" Asks Skylara.

The crowd has been struck speechless.

"Whoa! I certainly didn't see that coming! Andre ends the round, not with destruction, but with a duo of face downs!" The announcer says.

"And those were the only cards in his hand." Says Akiza. "An' ya know what that means, outta the two one of 'em is definitely 'The End a' the Storm'." Crow says. "So, Skylara can still win this!" Says Luna. "Yeah, she just has to have Cynder the Black Dragon make a direct attack!" Leo says. "I don't think it's gonna be quite that easy." Says Bruno. "Huh?" Everyone else asks.

Skylara gasps. _"Wait a minute. If Andre isn't going to use 'End of the Storm' himself, he must be planning for one of his teammates to use it. And that would mean, instead of just shaving away some of my lifepoints with it, Team Unicorn wants to wait until just the right moment, and use it to finish me off for good! I can't let that happen!"_ Skylara thinks to herself. "My draw! I play Bash. However, before I can summon him out in attack mode, I have to clear the way for him. And that means, destroying one spell or trap card on the field." Says Skylara. So her choices are between Andre's two face downs. _"That card I need to destroy here has to be 'End of the Storm'. So, I better pick correctly or 'End of the Storm' is going to end up destroying me. Here goes."_ Skylara thinks to herself. "I choose, the card on the right!" Skylara says.

It flips, 'Speed Spell-The End of the Storm'. Bash punches up through the middle of it, with his big, mace-like tail. Bash has 100 attack points, 900 defense points, is a level 2 monster and is an earth type monster.

"Skylara did it! That's the end of 'End a' the Storm'!" Says Yusei. "That's our girl!" Crow says. "Right! And the new forecast calls for Skylara kicking some major butt!" Says Akiza. "Chibi!" Chibi Chibi says. "Go get 'im, Skylara!" Says Luna. "All right! I'll betcha that Andre never saw that coming!" Leo says.

From the small, nasty grin on Andre's face, Leo would lose that bet, immediately, even before he next says… "Hmh. Sorry, Skylara. But, I saw that coming. So now, something's coming your way." Says Andre.

"What?!" Skylara asks.

"And it won't be something you like. See, Skylara, in a tag-team duel, when you're up three-to-two, well then…" Says Andre.

"'Well then' what?" Skylara asks.

"Then you can afford a few casualties. After all, between the three of us we have lifepoints to spare, while you on the other hand, have only a precious few! I activate 'Magic Charge'! Thanks to this trap, if a spell card on my field is destroyed due to one a' your cards' effects, then we're both dealt two thousand points of damage!" Says Andre.

"Ugh..." Skylara says.

A bolt of electricity zaps upward into the clear blue sky, which rapidly clouds over. Lightning bursts from the clouds to strike her, then Andre.

"Aaggghhh!" Skylara's lifepoints decrease to 2000.

"Nnnnggghh..." Andre's drop all the way to 0.

"Skylara, no!" Says Yusei, Crow, Akiza, Bruno, Luna and Leo. "Mama!" Chibi Chibi says.

Andre's steam vents burst open, and his speed sharply decreases, he sails backward, grinning nastily.

"Talk about taking one for the team! In an act of sensational self-sacrifice, Andre triggered a trap that took him out of the contest! But at the same time, hammered Skylara's lifepoints so that only half of her original four thousand remain!" Says the announcer.

"That's why Andre didn't play 'End a' the Storm', it was more effective as bait!" Yusei says. "Right, by placin' it down on the field, he knew Skylara would try and destroy it, and then he'd be able to play what he really wanted, 'Magic Charge'!" Says Akiza. "Ya gotta hand it to 'im, it was a pretty clever strategy, and the worst part is now that Andre's lifepoints have hit zero, the battle phase skips and Skylara's turn is over." Crow says. "They're good. Taking out Jack, and Akiza, and lowering Skylara's lifepoints by half? And that was all with their first duelist. Makes you wonder what Team Unicorn has up their sleeve for round two." Says Bruno.

Over in Team Unicorn's booth, Andre rides in and offers Breo the relay sticker. "All right, Breo. Looks like you're up now." Andre says. Breo swipes the sticker out of his hand, jocularly. "Right! Don't worry 'bout a thing." Says Breo. He attaches the relay sticker to his sleeve. Jean is standing nearby. "Remember, it's not just about winning out there, it's about makin' a statement." Jean says. Breo puts on his helmet. "Aww, don't you worry, Jean. I'll make a statement all right." Says Breo. He rides off, calling back… "That Team Unicorn is the best!" Breo says.

Andre, having left his runner and helmet on the side, joins Jean beside the track. "Y'know, I almost feel bad for poor Skylara and Yusei." Says Jean. "I know what you mean. People really do look up to both of them around here." Andre says. "Hm! Yeah, now in front of their home town and the whole world…" Says Jean. "They'll both be beaten, embarrassed, and tossed from the Grand Prix!" Andre says.

"Duel fans, the field has been leveled a little, but Skylara's lifepoints have been leveled a lot! Will Breo of Team Unicorn deliver defeat to Team Six-D's?! We're about to find out!" Says the announcer.

A sign on the wall bears a first aid +.

Inside, Carly, Minako and Stephanie are sitting around Jack's bedside, as he lies unconscious, shaking, plagued by nightmares or fighting to wake up. "Gghh... Skylara...! Ggghh!" Jack says, talking in his sleep. "Easy, Jack!" Says Minako. "Just rest." Stephanie says. "Don't worry yourself about the duel. Skylara has it all under control." Says Carly. She looks toward the screen on the wall, which is tuned into the duel and currently shows Skylara on her runner. "I hope." Carly says.

 _"Ah, the roar a' the crowd, the lights and the cameras, the glitz, the glamor, y'know a duelist could really get used to this sort of thing. Almost makes me feel like some kinda star! Huh? Whoa!"_ Breo thinks to himself. He's lapping around toward the booths again, and the sinister smirk on Jean's face harshly recalls him to the task at hand. _"...Almost. But, I'm part of something even bigger than that now. I'm part of Team Unicorn! And now I'm gonna do my part!"_ Breo thinks to himself again. "It's my turn!" Says Breo.

"Bad news, guys. Team Unicorn's speed counters have reached their max." Akiza says. "Right. Now, Breo can use all the speed spells he wants. Skylara better be careful." Says Crow. "Hey, Bruno? What type a' deck does Breo usually duel with anyhow?" Leo asks. "It's funny you should ask, I was just wondering the same thing myself." Says Bruno. "Whaddaya mean you were wondering, don'tcha have any data on him?!" Leo asks. "Easy, Leo. It's not like I haven't been looking. It's just up until now, Andre's always defeated all Team Unicorn's opponents by himself. So, the other two guys have no battle info." Says Bruno. He's scrolling through press clippings and photographs of Team Unicorn, always with Andre featured and the other two somewhat in the background. "No way!" Both Leo and Luna say. "Wait, if Andre's always done all the dueling for Team Unicorn. Then, could that mean that the other two guys aren't any good?" Asks Luna, hopefully. "Yeah, maybe. Good call, Luna! Maybe Skylara's not in as bad a spot as we thought!" Leo says, hopefully. They laugh a bit, nervously.

"Hm!" Says Breo.

 _"All right, time to see what this guy's got!"_ Skylara thinks to herself.

"For my first move, I summon the tuner monster Bicorn Re'em in defense mode!" Breo says. Bicorn Re'em has 1600 attack points and is a level 4 monster.

 _"A tuner? Is he planning for a synchro-summon?"_ Skylara thinks to herself.

"Next, I'll throw two face downs and end my turn!" Says Breo.

"What?!" Skylara asks.

"Why is he just playing defense?" Asks Akiza. "Who knows. But, I do know next turn Skylara's speed counter tally will be up and that puts her in a way better position than she's in right now." Crow says.

"It is my draw." Says Skylara. _"With just two thousand lifepoints left, one false move and this duel could be over."_ Skylara thinks to herself.

"It's almost cute the way she's still trying." Andre says. "Poor girl." Says Jean.

 _"However, I can't afford to play it safe. I need to duel without any fear, I need to rev it up!"_ Skylara thinks to herself. "I summon Dino-Rang in attack mode!" Skylara says. Dino-Rang has 600 attack points and is a level 3 monster. "Now go! Attack Bicorn Re'em with all your might! And since Dino-Rang's attack points are tripled during the battle phase, it shall be thrice the might!" Says Skylara. Dino-Rang's attack points rise to 1800 as it soars in to strike.

"Not if I play my face down it won't! Go, 'Negate Attack'!" Breo says.

Dino-Rang kicks against a shining barrier between itself and Bicorn Re'em, then returns to Skylara's side of the field, its attack points returning to 600. Skylara smiles, slightly, her attack failed, but she learned something important. _"Playing 'Negate Attack' to save that Bicorn can only mean one thing. Breo's got big things planned for it. Synchro-sized big. The question is, should I use 'Speed World Two's' effect and destroy that monster before it becomes a bigger problem? Or wait for Breo to summon whatever it is he's scheming up and deal with it then?"_ Skylara thinks to herself.

"Skylara sure is taking her time thinking things over this turn, eh, Jean?" Asks Andre. "Skylara can think for as long as she likes. However, the sad truth of it is, she's just grinding her gears." Jean says. They share a look. "There's not a move she can make that'll change the outcome of this duel." Says Jean. He looks back toward the field. "She tried attacking and where'd that get 'er. She's running out of options." Jean says.

"I switch Bash into defense mode and end my turn." Says Skylara.

Jean's fidgeting the fingers of the hand on which he's resting his chin, ring finger folded to the palm. "Ya see, it was exactly like I said. She has no moves to make. We backed 'er in a corner and now it's all she can do to just protect herself." Jean says.

"Now, it's my turn! First, I summon Mine Mole!" Says Breo. Mine Mole has 1000 attack points and is a level 3 monster. "And next, I'll tune level-four Bicorn Re'em with Mine Mole, to synchro summon..." Breo says. Bicorn Re'em dissolves into stars and they swirl upward.

 _"I knew it was coming! However, now to find out what it is!"_ Skylara thinks to herself.

Mine Mole soars through the aligning green rings. "Watch as the storm clouds give way to a stampede of rolling thunder! Now I summon, Voltic Bicorn!" Says Breo.

Voltic Bicorn is a level-seven beast-type monster, with twenty-seven-hundred attack points, and two thousand defense points.

"Now, since Bicorn Re'em was used as synchro material, two cards in your deck are now banished to the graveyard!" Breo says. Voltic Bicorn gallops past Skylara, spearing two cards on its horns.

Skylara groans and discards them, Ghost Roaster and 'Reinforce Truth'. "I guess, it is 'so long' to these two." Says Skylara.

"And since Mine Mole was used to synchro-summon a beast-type monster, I now get to draw one card from my deck!" Breo says.

They coast around a curve, Skylara's Dino-Rang zooming ahead of them, Cynder the Black Dragon soaring at her shoulder, and Voltic Bicorn gliding without galloping beside Breo's runner.

"Not to freak you guys out! But, that thing has as many attack points as Cynder the Black Dragon!" Says Luna. "So much for this guy not being good!" Leo says. "Yeah, but attack points may not even matter. It's possible Breo will use 'Speed World Two' to destroy Cynder right here and now!" Says Akiza. "And it all comes down to his next move." Yusei says.

Jean is fidgeting the fingers on which he's leaning his chin again. "Well done, Breo. Team Unicorn has nearly trampled Team Six-D's into complete submission." Says Jean.

Breo hears Jean speaking through a radio in his helmet. "Now, just one thing remains..." Jean says, via-radio. Breo nods toward the inside of the track, possibly toward the booths. _"And it's the thing I've been training for ever since I joined this team, and the one thing Skylara will never see coming!"_ Breo thinks to himself.

Skylara, Breo and their monsters round another curve on the track.

 _"Winning this is a no-brainer. The obvious move…"_ Breo thinks to himself.

Vision. "Go! Voltic Bicorn, attack and destroy!" Says Breo. The vision ends.

Back to the present. _"And a few years ago, that's just the move I would've made."_ Breo thinks to himself.

Flashback. A distant city, lit up at night, is built covering a hill, with an impressive stone building at its peak. At the base of the hill, buildings give way to sparkling ocean, and closer to the view of it, paved coastal roads wind their way out through green grass, past silos and old-fashioned windmills. A few lights can be seen from vehicles on these roads. _"But I've changed a lot since back then."_ Breo thinks to himself, in voice-over. Two of these lights belong to a pair of runners in the middle of a turbo-duel. The rider in the lead is Breo, a few years younger. He wears a black leather jacket, with metallic rings, studs and chain links, his runner and helmet are nondescript blue, yellow, white and black. He glances condescendingly over his shoulder toward his opponent, then… "Go! Inferno Dragon, direct attack!" Breo says.

His opponent, on a yellow runner, falls behind, pouring steam and kicking up dust.

Breo skids to a rather spectacular stop, sliding so far sideways he's almost backwards, at what might be a restaurant or truck stop, with a cheering crowd gathered outside. _"They called me the Baron of the Backroads, and no one could touch me in a duel."_ Breo thinks to himself, in voice-over. Breo removes his helmet. Back then, he wore his blonde hair even longer, kept in a horsetail down his back. He looks toward his cheering fans. _"I was a star. A bigshot. A winner! An' everybody always loves a winner."_ Breo thinks to himself, in voice-over. Breo points to the sky, triumphantly.

The several young women in the front of the crowd are absolutely melting. The five in front run toward him. But one girl, with long, red hair and a pink shirt, stops all of them with a look, before throwing herself into Breo's arms. "Babe! Super dueling!" She then murmurs. "You won that for me, right, studmuffin?" "You know it, babycakes. Now, let's go hit the clubs." Says Breo.

Change flashback. Now the sky is bright blue, clear, but for a few puffy clouds. _"I thought I knew everything and could do anything. But, then I met Jean and Andre."_ Breo thinks to himself, in voice-over. Breo and his redheaded girlfriend are riding double on the former's runner, then slow and stop. They look at each other, confused. They're watching Andre and Jean work on their runners near the side of the road, in some driveway or parking lot.

Andre, green vest draped around his shoulders, tinkers, while Jean stands off to the side. Both are wearing mundane, sensible clothes, Team Unicorn's tournament finery is nowhere in sight.

"Hey." Breo says.

"Huh?" Asks Andre.

Breo and his gal have approached them. She clings to his arm, nervously. "Ever hear a' the Baron a' the Backroads? Well, I'm him, and these're my roads." Breo says. Jean scratches the back of his neck, while Andre stands up. Both look amused. "Is that so? Well, tell me, mister Baron. What makes them your roads?" Asks Jean. "Actually, I think I have a better idea. 'Stead of telling you, how 'bout you hop on that runner you got there and I show you in a duel." Breo says. Jean and Andre look surprised, then resigned, then share a look, smiling with perfect accord. Jean tilts his head toward Breo, then they both turn back to face him. "All right, you got yourself a deal." Says Jean.

Soon, they're lining up to begin. Jean's pointy, red and white helmet clashes garishly with his dark maroon, sleeveless shirt.

Breo watches him over a shoulder, contemptuously confident.

His chick calls from the sidelines, standing next to Andre. "Breo! Make this quick, I totally need a smoothie fix!"

"Don't you worry, hotcakes!" Breo says.

An explosion rocks a coastal road, and he finds himself skidding backward, steam pouring from the sides of his runner. He has just lost.

Afterward, he kneels on the ground, panting, his confidence in crisis. _"After that duel, I realized I couldn't do everything. And I didn't know nearly as much as I thought."_ Breo thinks to himself, in voice-over.

Andre stands nearby, smiling congenially.

Jean joins them.

The girl takes a long look at Breo's face, then pouts, then runs to Jean, as he quietly bumps fists with Andre. "Hey! You looked really good out there! But I gotta say, you'd look even better with me on your arm!" Andre looks startled, but Jean looks completely disturbed, as she snuggles up to him and rubs his chest. With a cantankerous growl, he brushes her off, and impatiently gestures for her to go away. "No thanks, I'm not one for cheap accessories!" Says Jean. "Ah! Ohh, how dare you! Your loss." She walks away.

Jean and Andre turn back to Breo, smiling once again.

Jean's defeated opponent is still sitting on the ground next to his runner, humbled, he looks up as they approach him. "Yeah, yeah. Go on and say it. I'm a big loser, right? The baron of buffoons, the blockhead of the backroads, go ahead, I deserve it." Breo says. Jean and Andre are silent for a moment, they seem almost to pity him. Jean recovers first. "Actually, I just thought we'd introduce ourselves. This here's my teammate Andre and I'm Jean. Nice to meet you." Jean offers a hand to shake. Breo looks up at him, surprised. "We're lookin' for a third duelist to join our team, and you have some skills. Whaddayou say, interested?" Asks Jean. Breo looks stunned, then… "Team? No way, man. That's not my style. I duel by myself and for myself and that's the way I like it." Breo says. "Really? You like it when your friends come and go depending on if you win or lose?" Asks Jean. "Huh?" Breo asks. "What we're offering you is a chance to be part of something bigger. Something bigger than you or any one person!" Says Jean. "That's right. Something where the joys of dueling can be shared, and that helps heal the stings of defeat. We're asking you to be part of Team Unicorn. So? How 'bout it?" Andre asks. Breo blinks, and looks back toward Jean's offered hand. He thinks for a moment, then his face resolves and he takes it. Jean pulls him to his feet again, and places his other hand on top of their clasped ones. Andre places his hand on top of theirs. Their team has formed. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. _"I used to duel just for myself, but now I duel for the team."_ Breo thinks to himself.

Jean and Andre are watching from the booth.

 _"And that's why I'm not gonna make the obvious move and attack with Voltic Bicorn._ _That would be the old me. The new me, on the other hand…"_ Breo thinks to himself. "…activates the effect of 'Speed World Two'!" Says Breo.

 _"Here it comes!"_ Skylara thinks to herself.

One of the twins groans, nervously. The rest of Team 6D's is holding their breath.

"Now by removing ten speed counters, I can destroy one card on the field. And the card I choose to destroy, is one of my own. Voltic Bicorn!" Breo says.

"What?!" Asks Skylara.

"Wait, he didn't pick Cynder the Black Dragon?" Bruno asks. "Why would he destroy his own monster?" Asks Akiza. "I think we're about to find out!" Yusei says.

Voltic Bicorn rears, whinnying, and shatters. "See, Skylara! When Voltic Bicorn is destroyed, we each must then take however many cards are equal to his level, and then banish those cards straight to the graveyard! Bicorn's level-seven! So, you lose seven cards from your deck!" Says Breo.

Skylara discards seven cards. "Uh-oh. I'm starting to run low. Wait a sec...!" Skylara says.

"That's their plan! Even if she decides to tag Yusei in, he'll have barely any cards left to duel with!" Says Crow. "Then it's worse than we even imagined!" Akiza says.

"Sounds like they finally know what's up." Says Jean. "Unfortunately, for them. It's far too late to do anything about it. After all, what good are duel tactics and strategies when you don't have any cards left in your deck to implement any of them!" Andre says.

Skylara glances over her shoulder toward Breo.

 _"Sorry, Skylara! But, you're about to be out of duel ammo! And we've got a full deck!"_ Breo thinks to himself.

Tableau. Andre, Jean and Breo loom over Skylara, snickering. Breo reaching out a large hand, as though to grasp Skylara's head between his fingertips. Skylara glares back, defiant to the last.


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter 9: The Edge Of Elimination: Part 2_

The Kaibadome stadium track is lit up, in the middle of a fierce duel.

Skylara zooms around the track in the lead, trailing Cynder the Black Dragon, Bash and Dino-Rang.

"Well, duel fans! Skylara of Team Six-D's has put up an impressive stand against the crafty combatants of Team Unicorn!" The announcer says.

The Kaibadome cheerleaders, in blue and white, wave their pompoms, standing on the dividing wall between audience and track. "Go! Go! Go! Yeah!"

The stadium crowd is full of hopeful, cheering, excited, arguing, laughing, picture-snapping fans, right up to the rafters.

"Can she keep it up? She's awfully outnumbered, and being methodically drained of her duel cards." Says the announcer.

Down on the track, Skylara's expression is tense.

And Breo seems to be getting excited.

"It's just a matter a' time, Skylara! Defeat is coming! But until then, I'll end with these!" Breo says. He places two trap cards in his face down slots.

At the Team 6D's pit booth. "Team Unicorn's plan is so lame!" Says Leo. "Yeah, totally. Whittling down Skylara's deck until she's outta cards?" Luna asks. "Agreed. But, if it works, we're through." Says Akiza. "Skylara'll hang on through Breo, I know it." Yusei says. "Chibi." Says Chibi Chibi, as if in agreement. She's still being held in Yusei's arms. "Yeah, but then she's gonna have to keep dueling with Jean. The bottom line is, things aren't looking good." Bruno says. "Skylara, stay strong." Says Crow.

The screen in the backstage infirmary is tuned into the track, as Breo closes the gap between his runner and Skylara's. Minako, Carly and Stephanie watch it as they stand at Jack's bedside.

Jack clenches his teeth, in troubled sleep, then his eyes open. "...Ah!" "Jack's coming to!" Minako says. Jack struggles to sit up, painfully, his right arm in a sling. "Easy. You've been through a lot." Says Carly. "The duel! Did we end up winning?" Jack asks. "It's not over yet. Skylara's dueling Breo right now!" Says Stephanie. "What about Akiza?" Jack asks. "She was taken down by Andre." Says Minako. "I see. So, then..." Jack says. "So, then unless either Skylara or Yusei beat both Breo and Jean, Team Six-D's will be out." Says Carly. "Ngh... It's still possible." Jack says. "We'll see..." Says Minako.

Skylara's runner engine emits a grating squeal, as she tears along the track.

Breo's chasing after her.

 _"Breo's plan is to chip away at my deck and I only have twenty-three cards left! So, time is of the essence."_ Skylara thinks to herself. "It is my turn!" Skylara says. _"All right!"_ Skylara thinks to herself. "I play the speed spell 'Accelerate Draw'! Now, since I have twelve speed counters and you don't, I can draw two cards from my deck!" Says Skylara.

Team 6Ds' entire pit crew tenses up. "Was that a good idea?" Luna asks. "Yeah, shouldn't Skylara be conserving her cards at this point?" Asks Leo. "Well, tha'd be one strategy, to play it safe and slowly shave down Breo's lifepoints. Then again, another way to go would be to charge right at Breo, and take him down before he can take down any more of Skylara's cards. I think that's what Skylara's settled on. Get ready for some fireworks." Bruno says.

Breo rides after Skylara, teeth clenched in a confident grin.

"Cynder the Black Dragon, attack Breo directly!" Says Skylara.

Cynder does, and it's a direct hit. Breo is down to 1500 lifepoints. "Nice. But now, it's my turn. And I play, 'Regretful Tuning'! Thanks to this trap card, since I received a direct attack, I can now summon a synchro monster from my grave! Welcome back, Voltic Bicorn! And since a monster's been summoned using this effect, if it attacks, it's then destroyed at the end of the battle!" Breo says.

"This is bad! If Voltic Bicorn is back, then…" Says Bruno. "Then its ability is back, too! An ability that activates when he's destroyed and will force Skylara to send seven cards to her grave!" Crow says.

 _"Cynder the Black Dragon and Voltic Bicorn have the same number of attack points. If he attacks, they'll both be destroyed. Which means, I shall lose my best monster and seven cards all at once."_ Skylara thinks to herself.

"Breo's doing quite well! You may not even need to suit up, Jean." Says Andre. "You could be right, Andre. I mean, just look at Skylara's face, she's completely perplexed!" Jean says.

That's one way to describe the look on Skylara's face, teeth clenched and glaring, bent on enduring, and definitely starting to lose her cool. "I end my turn, with a face down." Says Skylara.

"Is that all? Fine then, my draw! First things first, Voltic Bicorn! Attack that Cynder!" Breo says.

The two monsters face off, each of their attack point totals read 2900.

"No! Here is what is going to come first, my trap 'Synchro Striker Unit'! And then, when I equip 'Synchro Striker' to a synchro monster, that synchro monster gains a thousand attack points!" Says Skylara. With a dazzling infusion of bright green sparks, Cynder the Black Dragon is even more defiant, 3900 attack points strong.

"In that case, I play the trap card 'Flattery'! With this, if your monster's attack points change during battle, that amount is then added to my monster's attack points until the end a' that battle!" Breo says.

Voltic Bicorn gallops forth, now also armed with 3900 attack points, and Cynder and Bicorn collide in midair with a bright flash that leaves nothing in its wake.

"No!" Says Skylara.

"Yes, Skylara!" Breo says.

"Oh, man!" Says Leo. "So, Cynder the Black Dragon's gone?!" Luna asks. "I'm afraid so. She powered up, but then, Bicorn powered up, too." Says Akiza.

"And now for the best part, Skylara! Since Bicorn was destroyed, we both send seven cards in our decks to the graveyard! But, I'm not done yet! Now, I'm activating the trap card, 'Tuning Collapse'!" Breo says.

"What?" Asks Skylara.

"Now, you must send the same number of cards in your deck to the grave, as whatever your destroyed synchro monster's level happened to be!" Breo says.

"Oh no! So, since Cynder the Black Dragon's level was eight, that means, eight cards?" Asks Leo. "And if ya add that to the seven she's already lost, that makes fifteen!" Luna says. "No, that's too many!" Says Yusei.

Skylara discards. Her face is grim as she thumbs card after card into the graveyard slot.

"Ohh, that's gotta hurt! It's hard to play your cards right, when you've got no cards to play! And at the rate Skylara's deck is diminishing, she may well be in that boat before long! It's now or never for Skylara, and she's never been in a worse spot! And one other thing, Skylara has never lost a turbo-duel or a normal duel in her dueling career. Could this very well be the end of that undefeated streak?!" The announcer asks.

Skylara grits her teeth, determined to the last. Skylara rides along the track, Dino-Rang and Bash on either side of her. _"Not only did I lose Cynder the Black Dragon in that last round, but I also lost fifteen cards from my deck!"_ Skylara thinks to herself. She looks down at her badly diminished dueling deck and she even looks slightly afraid. _"I have only five left!"_ Skylara thinks to herself. A screen graphic shows statistics relating to the duel, three unlabeled numbers under a column for each duelist. The first number is probably cards in each duelist's deck, because Skylara's statistic decreases from 20 to 5, and Breo's from 24 to 17. Skylara's other two numbers, respectively, are 5 and 27, and Breo's are 3 and 20.

"Leo, this is awful! How can Skylara make a comeback without any cards to come back with?" Asks Luna. Crow pounds the counter with a fist, Akiza and Yusei look at him, with concern. "Man! Team Unicorn has really done a number on us! And I completely forgot about Skylara's undefeated streak and now she might lose it for good!" Crow says. "I know. But as long as the number of cards in Skylara's deck isn't zero, she's still in this." Says Akiza. "Akiza's got a point." Yusei says.

"Just listen to them two. Their still hoping." Says Andre. "Hope doesn't win duels. What does, is a team that's as perfectly balanced as we are." Jean says. They watch Breo on the screen. "We're really quite the threesome." Says Jean. "It's true. Ya see, while I pride myself on my strategic instinct. Breo is a genius at analyzing an opponent's duel tactics. And then of course there's you, old friend." Andre says. "Who, me? Yeah, I admit it takes a master planner to put it all together. And that planner's me." Says Jean. "There's no doubt about that, Jean. You're good." Andre says. "Heh heh..." Says Jean. He holds up his pinky and then adds his ring finger. "Why, I bet I have more skills in this finger, and more smarts in this one..." Jean says. "...Than all of Team Six-D's put together, is that what you were gonna say?" Asks Andre. "You read my mind! That's teamwork!" Jean says. "Hey!" Says Breo, via-radio.

"I want in on this back-slap soiree! I know I may be the 'new guy' in the group, but ever since that day you took me under your wing, I've become twice the duelist I ever was!" Breo says.

Flashback. Breo, defeated and dejected, is surprised when Jean offers him a hand. "We're lookin' for a third duelist to join our team, and you have some skills. Whaddaya say, interested?" Asks Jean. Breo grasps the hand. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "The bottom line is, Team Unicorn is teeming with talent, but if you wanna take on that talent go right ahead! I play three face down cards and end my turn!" Breo says.

"My draw!" Says Skylara. _"With just four cards left in my deck, I will have to be…"_ Skylara thinks to herself.

"I'm activating a trap card! 'Tricolore Illusion'!" Breo says.

"Hm?!" Asks Skylara.

"And as long as 'Tricolore's' on the field, you can't attack! But, there's more. Once a turn, due to this card's effect, you have to draw a card, then depending on what card you draw, you have to follow certain instructions." Breo says.

Skylara grimaces, beyond annoyed.

"Should you draw a spell card, you add that card to your hand. Draw a trap, and you must send that card and another in your hand to the grave. If you draw a monster, you add that card to your hand, but then take another card from your hand, and then place it on top of your deck." Says Breo.

"Rggghhh..." Skylara growls under her breath.

"Or, if you like, you can just destroy 'Tricolore' now by sending a card in your deck to the graveyard. So, Skylara? What'll it be?" Breo asks.

Skylara looks down at her deck, anxiously.

 _"I love watching Skylara squirm! She doesn't wanna send a card in her hand to the grave, but she also doesn't wanna take any gambles. Especially, when she has so little to gamble with. There's no doubt, she'll play it safe, and destroy 'Tricolore'!"_ Breo thinks to himself.

"Ah. Breo has 'er right where we want 'er." Says Jean. "Yup." Andre says.

Skylara and Breo round another curve. _"_

 _Of course, if Skylara uses 'Speed World Two', she could destroy 'Tricolore Illusion' outright, but I'm ready for that, too."_ Breo thinks to himself.

Vision, as Breo's thoughts are accompanied by visual aids. _"Ready with the trap 'Destruction Trigger'. I can activate it when a card I control is destroyed by the effect of a spell or a trap. And when I do activate it, five cards from Skylara's deck will be banished to the grave! And then…"_ Breo thinks to himself, in voice-over.

In his vision/visual aids, the remaining five cards fly out of Skylara's deck, and defeat slams her hard, in painful reverse color. "Uagh...!" The vision ends.

Back to the present. "Make up your mind, Skylara! But, know this! I know your deck, and I've done the math! If you draw, the odds will not be good! There's only a fifty-percent chance you'll draw a monster, it's not worth the risk!" Says Breo.

 _"This guy has done his homework on me. And I know what he wants me to do."_ Skylara thinks to herself. She rides past the booth, and hears her friends cheering.

"All right, Skylara, go!" Bruno says. "You can do it!" Says Luna. "Go!" Leo says. "Chibi!" Says Chibi Chibi. "We're with ya!" Crow says. "We believe in you!" Says Akiza.

 _"So, for the sake of my team..."_ Skylara thinks to herself. "I'm simply not going to do it, Breo. I shall accept the effect of 'Tricolore' and draw a card!" Skylara says.

"No way! She's not s'posed to do that! She's changin' up her strategies!" Says Jean.

 _"This isn't the Skylara I studied!"_ Breo thinks to himself.

Skylara draws. "Looks like the risk not worth risking was worth it." Skylara says. She flips the Hex she just drew.

"Fine, you got lucky! But, it won't change anything in the long run!" Says Breo.

"Now, one card in my hand goes to the deck. And I can summon the monster I drew! Rise, Hex!" Skylara says. Hex has 1300 attack points and is a level 3 monster.

"'Hex'! Oh no!" Says Breo.

"Now, level-three Hex, tune with level-two Bash, and level-three Dino-Rang!" Skylara says. Hex throws down a ghostly skull from her hand, every bit as determined as Skylara. Hex implodes into a shimmering fireball then splits into three stars. Bash and Dino-Rang soar through the rings. "Behold, as shards of three elemental creatures, are forged together to create a powerful new force! I synchro-summon, Tempest Magician!" Says Skylara. Her new monster's scythe gleams in every direction, as it emerges from the light of the synchro-summon. Her dress is blue on the top and black the rest of the way. Tempest Magician has 2200 attack points, is a level 6 monster and is a dark type monster.

"Uh-oh! She doesn't look friendly!" Breo says.

"And when Tempest Magician is successfully summoned, I can then destroy the same number of cards on the field, as the number of non-tuner monsters that were used to synchro-summon her! Go, Scythe Slash!" Says Skylara. Tempest Magician raises up her scythe and as she slashes it in front of her, a flood of darkness that crashes like waves of water, aims toward Breo's side of the field.

"Yeah! Now Skylara just needs to attack and she'll beat Breo!" Yusei says. "Come on! Do it, Skylara!" Says Leo.

"Consider it done! Attack!" Skylara says.

"You didn't really think it'd be that easy, did you? I activate, 'Damage Lance'! Now, since a monster with two thousand attack points attacked me directly, one of your monsters' attack points decreases by a thousand, and you take, one thousand points of damage!" Says Breo.

The blast hits Tempest Magician and reduces her attack strength to 1600. Skylara takes the hit and is down to 1000 lifepoints. She shouts through it. "Uuugghhh... press on! Go, Scythe of Ferocity!" Skylara says.

Magician launches an attack from her scythe, and it slashes Breo and his runner. "Aaaaaahhh...!" His lifepoints sink from 1500 to 0. The steam vents open up on his runner, as he coasts toward a halt, slumping over.

"All right!" Says both Luna and Leo. "Breo's been bested!" Leo says. "Okay, two down and one to go!" Says Yusei. _"Yeah! But the only problem is, when Skylara takes on that one, she'll now only have a thousand lifepoints!"_ Akiza thinks to herself.

Jack sits up in bed, and the three women stand around, all watching the screen. "So, Jack? Team Unicorn's third duelist, is he any good or what?" Carly asks, tentatively. "Not only is he good, he might be Team Unicorn's best. And with Skylara already hanging on by a thread, it doesn't look good. Even if she decides to tag in Yusei, it won't make much of a difference." Says Jack. "But, we've been in jams before. S-Skylara at least still has a chance, right?" Carly asks. Jack nods. "Mmm-hmm." Says Jack. He looks back at the screen. _"One chance in a thousand, maybe. Skylara duels well. But to win this, she'll have to duel perfectly."_ Jack thinks to himself.

Breo rolls to a halt at Team Unicorn's relay changeover.

Jean waits on his runner and Andre stands at his side.

Team Unicorn's pit crew is crowded on the other side of the track, and they crowd around to check Breo's runner, as he halts. Breo takes off his helmet, peeling the relay sticker from his forearm. "Sorry, Jean. I just couldn't finish it." Breo says. Jean accepts the sticker and attaches it. "Don't sweat it, Breo. She just got lucky. It's not like she outplayed you or anything." Says Andre. "Yeah, I guess not. It's just, I thought I knew all her tactics! But then, she did something completely unexpected!" Breo says. "I know, Breo." Says Jean. They look up at the Sphere at Skylara, as she keeps riding. "That's what happens when a duelist runs out of all his or her options." Jean says.

Skylara keeps riding, looking straight ahead, frowning seriously.

"He or she starts panicking and making desperate last-ditch moves to try an' win. But, it's not gonna work." Says Jean. He puts on his helmet and lowers the visor. "I will see to that." Jean says. He roars out of the gate without a glance back.

"Well, duel fans! Here we go! The final confrontation!" Says the announcer.

Andre and Breo watch him ride off, now all of their hopes are resting on Jean.

Jean veers out onto the track just in front of Skylara, as she passes the booths.

"A smackdown with super-sized stakes between the two teams' last two duelists! And what makes this the most interesting, this duel is team leader vs. team leader! So, which team leader is more dominant than the other?! We're about to find out!" The announcer says.

The crowd watches Skylara on the Sphere. Trudge and the Duel Academy kids are on the edges of their seats, even Sly.

"On one runner, we have Skylara Galatea, whose fans must be breathing a sigh of relief that she made it through her last melee! But, can she maintain the momentum?!" Asks the announcer.

Team 6Ds' pit booth watches, tensely.

Skylara and Jean zoom toward the next curve in the track.

"After all, she's now facing Team Unicorn's crafty captain, Jean!" The announcer says.

"Congrats on lasting this long! But now, your time is up." Says Jean.

"You have been calling the shots since the start, haven't you?!" Skylara asks.

"That's right." Says Jean.

"Even back when Andre and I first dueled! That was all set up by you, just so you would know more about our duel tactics." Skylara says. Jean answers from his runner screen. "Don't be sore, I just did what I had to for the edge." Says Jean, via-screen. "The edge? Oh, really?" Skylara asks. "Hmm?" Asks Jean, via-screen. "Over the course of this duel, Jean. I have learned quite a bit about teamwork. And I have learned it by watching you three." Skylara says. Her eyes suddenly shift to red and the small portion of her raven black, red gradated hair, that's been tied back, becomes free of its restraint, having the remainder of her hair flow loose behind her, along with the rest of her long, wavy tresses. Skylara now has a small smile and it looks slightly taunting and a bit menacing, she's through playing nice. "Which is why I'm stumped, why you would want to win this way." Says Skylara, her voice slightly echoic and menacing.

Jean listens, somewhat surprised, maybe even a bit moved.

"Beating me by taking away what is most prized to a duelist, his or her cards. I thought you had more heart than that. I thought you would have wanted to win with force, not by finding some technicality." Skylara says.

They race past the booths.

Jean can see Breo and Andre at the screens in Team Unicorn's pit booth, rooting for him. _"I'm not falling for Skylara's mind games! Team Unicorn never holds back, when we see a weakness, we strike with all our might! But, it wasn't always like that. At least, not when we were all still on our own."_ Jean thinks to himself.

Flashback. Jean, in street clothes, watches a standing duel from halfway behind a graffitied wall in a fluorescent-lighted parking garage.

Andre, also in street clothes, has 1000 lifepoints.

And his opponent is about to attack. "Command Knight, attack him directly!"

The knight jumps, then directs a laser beam from his sword at Andre, who cowers.

"Ogghhh...!" Andre falls to one knee, defeated, wincing.

"All right! Victory is mine! Tough luck, bro. Come back anytime if you wanna get your butt kicked again. Hehahahahaha!" The opponent walks away.

Andre stands up, glaring after him, biting back a retort.

He doesn't see Jean approach, until he swipes the face down card Andre had out of the far right hand card slot. "Just as I thought, you could've beaten 'im but you didn't." Says Jean. He shows Andre the 'Magic Cylinder' trap he's holding. "So tell me, then, stranger. Why didn'tcha play this? It would've won ya the duel. Lemme guess, you held back out of pity for your opponent. Well, lemme tell you something! You simply can't do that, because your opponent has no pity for you!" Jean says. Andre scoffs. "How would you know?" Asks Andre. Jean puts two fingertips to his own temple, craftily. "I know, because I was once like you." Jean says. Andre looks back at him, skeptically. "Whaddaya say we join forces?" Asks Jean. "Join forces?" Andre asks. "Yes, duel together on the same team. Because on a team, you win at any cost. There's no place for pity because your teammates are counting on you." Says Jean. "Ya know, you're right." Andre says. Jean holds up his thumb and first two fingers, almost a salute. "Good, then our bond is forged." Says Jean. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. _"And there's no way I'm gonna break that bond now by showing Skylara any pity! My teammates're counting on me!"_ Jean thinks to himself. "Farewell, Skylara! The time has come for Team Unicorn to lower its horn, charge in, and finish you and Team Six-D's off once and for all! It's over!" Jean says.

Skylara is silent.

"It's my turn! I summon Trident Warrior!" Says Jean. Trident Warrior has 1800 attack points and is a level 4 monster. "And when this card's successfully summoned, I'm then allowed to summon one level-three monster directly from my hand out to the field of battle! And the level-three monster I'm summoning is Delta Flyer!" Jean says. Delta Flyer has 1500 attack points and is a level 3 monster. "Now, I'll play Delta Flyer's special ability. Once per turn, it lets me increase the level of a monster on my field other than Delta by one point. So, Trident Warrior, power up to level five! But, I'm not done with you yet. Now, tune with level-three Delta Flyer!" Says Jean. Delta Flyer dissolves into rings, and Trident Warrior leaps through them. "Let the skies open up and give way to a gleaming beast of electric might! I synchro-summon, Lightning Tricorn!" Jean says. Lightning Tricorn has 2800 attack points and is a level 8 monster. Jean's monster is plated in gold from hooves right up to its spiky blue mane. Three red horns curve out around its mane, and other big red spikes stick out from its sides, back to its bright red tail.

When Lightning Tricorn is destroyed in battle, you can summon Thunder Unicorn, or Voltic Bicorn, from your graveyard.

"Oh, no." Says Skylara.

"Now, Tricorn! Charge, and crush Tempest Magician!" Jean says.

"Oh no!" Says Leo. "Skylara's monster will be mush if this attack hits!" Luna says. "This can't be!" Says Akiza. "Skylara, don't let it end like this!" Crow says.

"I won't! And I have Terrafin to thank. He's in the graveyard. However, by removing him from play, I can stop a monster from being destroyed in battle." Says Skylara.

"Yeah? But'cha still take damage!" Jean says.

"Uuugghh!" Skylara's lifepoints just fell to 800. "I guess, I have your team to thank for that one. You are the ones who sent Terrafin to the grave." Says Skylara.

"Enjoy the moment." Jean says.

"Hm?" Asks Skylara.

"Because it's not gonna last. Not with the speed spell I have right here in my hand. And you know what that means!" Jean says. He shows 'Speed Spell-Tyrant Force'. His speed counters decrease to 2. "I can play 'Speed World Two'! So now, by using four speed counters, you take eight hundred points of damage, and that's…" Says Jean.

Jack and the ladies are watching, alarmed. "All the points you have left!" Jean says, via-screen. "All her points?! Wait, so then, that would mean…" Says Carly. "It would mean Skylara would lose the duel." Minako says, wearily. Jack scowls, come on!

Jean has rode out in front and turned around, pointing the crooked red horn of his runner back toward Skylara. "Goodbye, Skylara!" Says Jean. He fires.

"I'm not going anywhere! However, this guy is! By removing Damage Eater from my graveyard and one card in my hand from play, I can negate damage from your effect and then add to my lifepoints the amount I would have lost." Skylara says. Her lifepoints double to 1600.

Jean glances back, nervously, and places two face downs.

"With so few cards in her deck, she's using the ones in her grave!" Says Breo.

 _"Ironic. She's clinging to life by using cards that have met their demise._ _But, one can only cling for so long. She'll see."_ Jean thinks to himself.

"My draw. I play the effect of 'Speed World Two'! Now, by removing ten speed counters, I can destroy Lightning Tricorn!" Skylara says. A beam of light strikes from her runner to Lightning Tricorn and vaporizes it completely. "Next, I shall have Tempest Magician attack you directly!" Says Skylara. Tempest Magician starts to attack.

"You'll do no such thing! Go, 'Reanimation Wave'!" Jean says. A shimmering dome of light appears over his runner and deflects the blast. "Thanks to this trap, since a synchro attacks, all battle damage is cut in half!" Says Jean. His lifepoints decrease to 2700. "And then, I can summon a synchro monster from the graveyard whose level is the same as that of the synchro monster that just attacked! So rise, Lightning Tricorn!" Jean says.

"Then you rise, as well, Rinyan, Lightsworn Rogue, in defense mode!" Says Skylara. Rinyan, Lightsworn Rogue has 100 defense points and is a level 2 monster. "With that, I shall end my turn! So, go on, Jean! Do your very worst! Go!" Skylara says.

"I think the pressure is starting to get to her." Says Akiza. "I think it's getting to us all!" Yusei says. "Mama." Says Chibi Chibi, innocently. The twins cling together, eyes bent on the screen.

"My turn now! Fi-i-rst, I summon Rhinotaurus!" Jean says. Rhinotaurus has 1800 attack points and is a level 4 monster. "Next, I'll have Lightning Tricorn attack Tempest Magician!" Says Jean. Tricorn has 2800 attack points to Magician's 2200.

It gallops down on Skylara, firing bolts from its horns, and makes a direct hit. Skylara's lifepoints are taken down to 1400. "Gggghhh...!"

"But, there's more! Now Rhinotaurus will attack Rinyan, Lightsworn Rogue! So, say goodbye to your little kitty-cat!" Jean says. Rhinotaurus has 1800 attack to Rinyan's 300 defense points.

It destroys it, instantly, and Skylara grits her teeth, as the shards fly past.

"Oh! I can hardly bear to watch!" Says Leo. "Then I think now might be a good time to close your eyes." Luna says.

"And now, for the best part! Since two a' your monsters were destroyed this turn, Rhinotaurus can attack a second time!" Says Jean. Rhinotaurus has 1800 attack points.

And Skylara has 1400 lifepoints. "Not good!" Skylara says.

"So, I'll say it again! Goodbye, Skylara! Take 'er out, Rhinotaurus!" Says Jean.

Bruno stands at the desk, eyes still on the screen. "Skylara!" Bruno says. "No!" Says both Leo and Luna. "Mama!" Chibi Chibi says. Yusei, Crow and Akiza all gasp.

Tableau. Rhinotaurus and its sharp, hornlike hand are descending on Skylara and her runner.


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10: The Edge Of Elimination: Part 3_

"Goodbye, Skylara! Take 'er out, Rhinotaurus!" Jean says. Rhinotaurus jumps into the air, ready to hit Skylara horn first.

 _"I guess, this is it! There is nothing left to do…!"_ Skylara thinks to herself. "But play my trap card, 'Dark Crystal'! Now by removing a monster and a synchro in my grave from play, I'm allowed to bring back a synchro from my graveyard!" Says Skylara.

"So?" Jean asks.

"So, Tempest Magician and Rapid Warrior, make way for the return of Cynder the Black Dragon!" Says Skylara. Cynder the Black Dragon has 2900 attack points and is a level 8 monster.

"Rhinotaurus, stop your attack." Jean says.

"Wise move. And now, for another move of my own, I activate the effect of 'Dark Crystal'. So now, you take damage equal to half of Cynder's attack points." Says Skylara.

Cynder breathes a mist of black and purple specks, and brings Jean's lifepoints down to 1450.

"Jean's been jostled! And this crowd is going crazy over it!" The announcer says.

Up in the stands, Trudge is grinning, the Duel Academy students are waving and calling out.

Akiza's parents watch, tensely still.

The cheerleaders are standing on the aisle steps, waving their pompoms.

"Can Skylara keep it up and come through with a comeback for all the ages?! It's possible! After all, the difference between these two duelists' lifepoints, is now an infinitesimal fifty! Sta-ay tuned!" Says the announcer.

The two riders zoom past the booths. "Yeah, Skylara!" Leo says. "Easy, it's not over." Says Luna. "No! But, at least we're back in this duel!" Crow says. "Yeah." Says Yusei. "Hope it lasts!" Akiza says.

"This is simply unheard-of! Skylara's caught up to Jean with practically no cards in her deck!" Says Breo. "Don't sweat it, Breo. Jean sure doesn't seem to be." Andre says. They look back toward the duel.

Jean does have a confident smirk on his face, as he decelerates to ride next to Skylara. "Hmm. Nice move, Skylara. However, you've had 'Dark Crystal' face down since the very first turn! And that means just one thing, that it was the card you were savin' to finish me off with! Am I right?" Asks Jean.

Skylara's face is turned away, she doesn't reply. _"Ugh, he is right."_ Skylara thinks to herself.

"Don't go and feel too badly about it, Skylara! It wasn't a complete waste. You did manage to shrink my lead down by a significant amount. But I'm afraid, not quite enough to win. Because while you've nearly used nearly all your game-changer cards and strategies, I have loads! So many in fact, the only question is, which should I use to end you with!" Jean says, condescendingly.

Skylara looks down at her hand and her badly depleted deck.

"Fortunately, I probably won't have to answer that question! Because the moment that you're outta cards completely, pow! You lose! I now place one face down and end my turn!" Says Jean.

"Yes, my cards are low! However, I shall have your lifepoints at zero before my deck hits that mark! It is my draw! Cynder the Black Dragon, attack Rhinotaurus! Go, Dark Shadow Flame!" Skylara says.

Rhinotaurus is destroyed in a huge puff of smoke, and Jean's lifepoints fall to 750.

"Unbelievable! With that last attack, Skylara has just latched onto the lead! At least, in terms of lifepoints!" Says the announcer.

"All right, this is huge! Jean's lifepoints are now at seven hundred and fifty and you guys know what that means!" Crow says. "Yeah, that 'Speed World Two's' now a factor!" Says Luna. "All Skylara has to do is use four of her speed counters, and she'll win!" Bruno says.

"I play the face down, the trap 'Thousand Crisscross'! This lets me raise my lifepoints up to one thousand, three separate times!" Says Jean. His lifepoints increase to 1000.

"Oh my, Jean must've sensed 'Speed World Two's' effect coming! So, in a sensational display of self-preservation, he's lifted his lifepoints to a level where he can withstand its wrath!" The announcer says.

Skylara looks at the trap card she's holding, and thinks of Cynder. _"In that case, 'Shadow Blast' should come in handy. Once activated, if a dragon-type synchro leaves the field, Jean will take damage equal to that synchro's attack points. So, since Jean will most likely destroy Cynder with Lightning Tricorn next turn, that is when I shall make my move."_ Skylara thinks to herself.

In black and white tones, she can picture Lightning Tricorn turning and galloping toward Cynder.

"I place one card face down and end my turn!" Says Skylara.

"Hmm. My draw. I activate the trap 'Superficial Peace'!" Jean says.

"You what?" Asks Skylara.

"That's right. So that means, neither one of us can activate a spell or a trap card and none of our monsters can be destroyed in battle! Now, Lightning Tricorn, attack Cynder the Black Dragon! Leaping Electric Lunge!" Jean says.

Skylara's lifepoints are shocked down to 1100.

"But, I'm not done. There's more beneath the surface of 'Superficial Peace'. Now, because you've taken damage, one of your spell or trap cards gets destroyed, and I get to draw one card!" Says Jean.

Skylara's trap is flipped and destroyed.

"'Shadow Blast', eh? That's quite a powerful card. A card like that, could've won you the duel! A card like that, could've made you a hero! But unfortunately for you, a card like that, is just what I expected! You are far too predictable." Jean says.

"Rrgh..." Skylara growls under her breath.

"I place two face downs and end my turn!" Says Jean.

"Whoa, that was a close one! If Jean had sprung Skylara's trap, this match would be over!" Breo says. "But, that's the thing about Jean. He doesn't spring traps, he sets them." Says Andre. "Hm! And the best part is, Skylara's about to step in the biggest trap of all!" Breo says.

Jean and Skylara round another curve in the track.

 _"How do I beat a duelist who seems to know all my strategies, and has all the cards to counter them? And how do I do it with my own deck down to a mere two cards! That is, if it can even be done at all."_ Skylara thinks to herself.

Luna and Bruno watch Skylara's face on the monitor, worriedly. "Skylara." Says Luna. "C'mon, sis! Ya gotta dig deep!" Yusei says. "Chibi!" Says Chibi Chibi. "That's what she's been doing! But at a certain point, you can't help but hit rock bottom!" Akiza says. "What're you saying, Akiza?! That this is over?!" Asks Leo.

"Over? This isn't over!" Jack says.

They startle, and turn.

Jack, still in his hospital gown, is leaning heavily on the arm he has slung around Carly's shoulders. Minako and Stephanie the waitress prop Jack up, nervously. Somehow, he has managed to walk all the way out to the track with their support. "Whoa, Jack." Says Carly. "Take it easy." Stephanie says.

"Jack?!" Asks all of them. Chibi Chibi smiles, brightly, seeing Jack. "Dada!" Chibi Chibi says, happily and cutely.

"Did she just call him 'dada'?" Asks Stephanie, bewildered. "I believe so." Minako says, surprised. "Jack, why is she calling you 'dada'? Don't tell me she's not...?" Asks Carly, perplexed. "Yeah, she's my daughter. Long story short, she came here from the future. I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. She's mine and Skylara's daughter from the future." Jack says. Carly, Minako and Stephanie all gasp, in shock and disbelief.

"Hey listen, man. You should be resting." Says Crow.

Jack pulls his arm free of Carly's shoulder and stands on his own, to everyone's shock. "No way! 'Cause if I can tough it out and be here, I know Skylara'll sense it!" Jack says. He then walks up to Yusei. "Can I have my daughter, Yusei?" Asks Jack. Chibi Chibi's reaching out to him, while she's still being held in Yusei's arms. "Jack, are you sure?" Yusei asks. Jack nods, subtly. "Okay." Says Yusei. He hands Chibi Chibi over to Jack, who takes her and holds her in one of his arms. Jack looks down at Chibi Chibi and smiles down at her. Chibi Chibi's smiling up at Jack. "Dada!" Chibi Chibi says, happily and cutely. "I told you I'd be okay, Chibi Chibi. Now, let's help your mom out a little bit." Says Jack. "Chibi!" Chibi Chibi says, cutely.

Just then, Skylara rides past the pit booths, and her eyes, wide with surprise, meet his for a long moment.

Jack approaches the trackside fence, with Chibi Chibi in one of his arms, and leans on it for balance.

After Skylara rides past.

Jack turns to the others. "Don't you see? Toughing it out is all that matters right now. Win or lose, the key is that Skylara duels right down to the last card in her deck, with all her heart. That's how she's always dueled, she duels with all her heart and soul. That's exactly why we claimed her as our team's leader." Says Jack.

Yusei is the first to break the silence after his ringing speech. "Jack's right!" Yusei says.

Leo runs to the pit booth counter and leans over it. "Skylara, keep dueling!" Says Leo, cheering.

The others join him. "Yeah, with all your heart!" Luna says. "Chibi!" Says Chibi Chibi. "Go for it!" Yusei, Akiza and Bruno all say. "Just give it all ya got!" Says Crow.

 _"They are right,_ _I can't give up hope."_ Skylara thinks to herself.

Leo and Luna are cheering, eyes bright, with excitement. Akiza and Bruno are watching, proudly. Yusei, Jack and Crow are nearly holding their breath.

 _"Win or lose, I need to at least battle until the end."_ Skylara thinks to herself.

Flashback. A still shot of a hectic day in the garage. Akiza's sitting on the edge of the landing at the top of the ramp, Luna's standing next to her, both pf them are leaning over to watch Skylara and the guys work on runners. Trudge is standing in the doorway, next to Minako, who's also leaning over to spectate. Carly's standing behind Akiza, and seems to be scolding the ever-boisterous Leo, as he runs down the ramp.

Below them, something seems to have just exploded with puffs of white steam. Bruno's standing at the console, trying to see the screen through the cloud. Crow looks confused, and Jack's glancing over his shoulder, still holding a helmet, with Chibi Chibi clinging to his leg, probably frightened by the explosion. And Skylara's standing over Yusei, as he kneels next to the runner they're working on. _"Because it is our battle."_ Skylara thinks to herself, in voice-over.

Change Flashback to another still. Yusei and Crow race around a sharp curve, with Jack and Skylara close behind.

Change still again. Yusei, Skylara, Jack and Crow, in their new racing outfits, stand together with their runners, casting white shadows on a field of black, each face resolved. _"We have been training for the Grand Prix for so long now, and we have been training together."_ Skylara thinks to herself, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. _"I won't let any of them down. I won't stop fighting!"_ Skylara thinks to herself. "My draw!" Skylara says. _"And what a draw!"_ Skylara thinks to herself. "I summon, Stump Smash! And since he's out on the field, I can add another monster from my graveyard to the field, as well! Yes, it is true, I can't use any of this second monster's effects! However, I can use something else about her! Hex, appear!" Says Skylara. Hex has 1300 attack points and is a level 3 monster. "And now, tune with level-two Stump Smash!" Skylara says. Hex throws down a ghostly skull and goes into action. Stump Smash sails through its green rings. "From two, come one, and from one, shall come great power! Behold, as they merge their might and combine their courage! Now, behold! As I synchro-summon Ninjini!" Says Skylara. Ninjini has 2300 attack points and is a level 5 monster.

 _"Now Skylara has two synchros?"_ Jean thinks to himself.

 _"Some time ago, I discovered there was more to synchros than what I knew."_ Skylara thinks to herself.

Flashback. Skylara is forced toward the side of the track, as the air space directly beside her shines brighter and brighter.

And Visor comes roaring out of it. Above him hovers a new monster, armored in bright lime green and orange. _"I discovered the Accel Synchro. However, its power was a mystery to me. I never fully grasped this, Synchro Solution."_ Skylara thinks to herself, in voice-over.

"What is that? And how were you able to summon it right in the middle of my turn?" Skylara asks. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. _"I may still not have all the answers. However, I think I have a few. And what better time to test them, than right now."_ Skylara thinks to herself. "I activate the 'Speed Spell-Speed Fusion'!" Says Skylara.

"Just what're you scheming here?!" Jean asks.

"You're about to see, Jean! Because, by sending cards that can make up a fusion monster from my field to the grave, I can summon that monster! So, Cynder the Black Dragon and Ninjini! Stand down, so that an even mightier beast can rise up! A beast forged by way of a fusion summon! Appear, Cerberus the Shadow Hound!" Says Skylara.

Cerberus the Shadow Hound is a level-ten fusion-type monster, with thirty-two-hundred attack points, and two thousand defense points.

"A fusion summon?" Akiza asks. "Check out that beast!" Says Crow. "It's remarkable!" Jack says.

The crowd is loving this.

"Talk about a trump card! That thing's terrifying! And from the look of it, prepared to pounce!" Says the announcer.

Skylara's new monster towers halfway up to the rim of the track, a mighty, three-headed dog, as black as the shadows from which he came, with a pair of glowing red eyes on each of its three heads.

"Uh-oh!" Jean says.

"Cerberus, unleash your wrath on Lightning Tricorn! Go, Shadow Stream!" Says Skylara.

"I play the trap, 'Return Damage'! This card takes any battle damage headed my way and reverses it! So now, it's headed your way!" Jean says.

"Then, I activate Cerberus' ability! And it's an ability, that negates any damage directed towards me from a card effect! Then, that damage is redirected by my Cerberus the Shadow Hound, right back to you." Says Skylara.

Jean takes the hit, and spins out a few times, and rights himself, now riding behind her. Jean's lifepoints are now down to 600.

"Sensational! Spectacular! The superlatives simply don't suffice in this situation! But believe me, it's a sight to see!" The announcer says.

The riders lap past the booths again.

"Way to go, Skylara!" Says Leo. "What a move! What a monster! What a way to finish!" Crow says. Bruno returns his attention to the monitor screen. "Nothing is finished yet. But, it could be soon for us. Skylara's down to her last card!" Says Bruno, anxiously.

Skylara keeps riding, her face similarly serious, she knows this isn't over.

They round another curve on the track.

Jean glares up at Skylara's powerful new monster. "A fusion summon. Well, I most certainly didn't anticipate this. Skylara surprised me on this one." Jean says, muttering to himself.

"She surprised us all. According to our data, she's never summoned such a beast before! At least, the 'Thousand Crisscross' Jean played earlier will up his lifepoints to a thousand." Says Breo.

Jean's lifepoints increase to 1000 for the second time. _"Before, I was counting on Skylara losing by running out of cards. But now, I'll need to take some extra precautions."_ Jean thinks to himself. "I play, Lightning Tricorn's ability. Ya see, since he was destroyed, I'm now allowed to bring back either Thunder Unicorn or Voltic Bicorn from my extra deck. And, I choose Bicorn!" Jean says. Voltic Bicorn has 2700 attack points and is a level 7 monster.

 _"Uh-oh, Voltic Bicorn? This could make things a little tricky."_ Skylara thinks to herself.

Flashback. Cynder the Black Dragon and Voltic Bicorn collide in midair.

Skylara is forced to discard from her deck. _"Because, when Bicorn's destroyed, I lose seven cards from my deck."_ Skylara thinks to herself, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "Ha! I think I know where Jean's going with this strategy!" Says Breo.

"Not good. Skylara knows better than to destroy that Voltic Bicorn. But, if Jean wants him destroyed, then…" Bruno says. "Then, all he has to do is have Bicorn attack Skylara's Cerberus!" Says Akiza. "Exactly right, Akiza! And that would finally deplete Skylara's duel deck!" Crow says. "No! That means, she'd be through!" Says Leo.

"True. However, don't go counting me out just yet. I play a face down and end my turn!" Skylara says.

"Then it's my draw. Here goes! Now Voltic Bicorn, attack Cerberus!" Says Jean. Voltic Bicorn gallops for Skylara's Shadow Hound.

"Skylara!" Leo says. "Look out!" Says Yusei. "Mama!" Chibi Chibi says.

"I activate the trap 'Demon Play, Demon Out'!" Says Skylara. Demon emerges from its card and butts heads with Bicorn, driving it back from whence it came. "And not only does it stop the attack of your Bicorn! But afterwards, it returns to the field for me to use again!" Skylara says.

"Oh, my! Skylara staves off an attack and now will be able to avoid an early end, due to lack of duel cards!" Says the announcer.

"Nice. Still, that buys you a round and that won't be enough to win! I place one card face down and end my turn!" Jean says.

"It all comes down to this next move for Skylara! With just one card, she needs to find a way to win here! Or she'll have nothing to draw next turn and be disqualified from the duel!" Says the announcer.

Trudge, the Duel Academy kids, and the crowd beyond them, several carrying 6D's signs, watch anxiously.

 _"Come on."_ Luna thinks to herself. _"Believe!"_ Akiza thinks to herself.

Skylara grips the last card in her deck. _"All the hopes and dreams of Team Six-D's comes down to this card. Let's hope it is a good one!"_ Skylara thinks to herself. She pauses, then draws. "My turn! I activate the effect of 'Speed World Two'! Now, since I have four or more speed counters, I can remove four speed counters to deal eight hundred points of damage for every speed spell in my hand!" Skylara says. Her speed counters decrease to 5. A blast of flame appears behind Skylara's runner.

Which scorches Jean, who rides behind, down to 200 lifepoints. "'Thousand Crisscross's' effect activates, and revives my lifepoints to a thousand!" Says Jean. 'Thousand Crisscross' shatters, that was the last time he could use its effect.

"That makes three! Now, 'Thousand Crisscross's' effect can't be used again!" Leo says. "And without that effect protecting Jean, one more attack could end this." Says Jack. "Chibi." Chibi Chibi says.

"Next, I activate the 'Speed Spell-Overspeed'! Now, since I have at least four speed counters! By removing them all, I can add one level-three-or-below monster and one spell or trap card from my graveyard to my hand!" Says Skylara. Her speed counters decrease to 0.

Jean pulls slightly ahead of her again.

"However, my speed counters shall now decrease for three turns. As for the cards I'm adding to my hand, I will choose 'Reflect Barrier', and Rapid Warrior, who I shall also summon! Now, Rapid Warrior, attack Jean directly!" Skylara says.

"Go!" Says Bruno. "If this hits, it's all over and Team Six-D's wins!" Yusei says.

"Go, Warrior! Whiplash Walloping!" Says Skylara.

"Hm. I play a trap card, 'Barrier Wave'! Now by releasing one synchro monster on my field, I can switch all of your monsters into defense mode, and then you take damage equal to the defense points of the monster that attacked!" Jean says.

"I what?!" Asks Skylara.

"Voltic Bicorn, you're released!" Jean says.

Cerberus the Shadow Hound is forced into defense mode, as is Rapid Warrior.

"Now, since Cerberus is in defense mode, he can't negate damage from a card effect. Which means, the damage you're due for 'Barrier Wave' will now be dealt!" Says Jean.

Skylara takes the damage, and her lifepoints reduce to 900.

"Aahh!" Luna screams. "Skylara, no!" Leo says. "Mama!" Says Chibi Chibi.

"Absolutely amazing! Yet again, Skylara's assault has been stopped short! What a dynamic display of counter-dueling!" The announcer says.

The two runners zoom past the pit booths again.

"Ugh. I remove Boomer in my grave from play. Now, due to its special ability, I can switch Cerberus back into attack mode. I then throw two cards face down and end my turn!" Says Skylara.

"And it will be Skylara's last turn! Now, it's just a matter of Jean surviving this round, then Skylara will have no cards and be forced to forfeit the fight!" The announcer says.

Each person in Team 6Ds' pit booth.

And many in the audience, including Trudge and the Duel Academy kids, are holding their breath.

"Must be hard to have your undefeated streak end this way! Just sitting there, so powerless and feeble. Well, too bad! Your time has now come! Here's my draw!" Says Jean.

"And here is my face down, Jean! 'Summon Tax'!" Skylara says.

 _"Uh-oh, a trap!"_ Jean thinks to himself.

"With this, if a player summons a monster this turn, that player takes damage equal to half that monster's attack points!" Says Skylara.

 _"And since Skylara added 'Reflect Barrier' to her hand last turn, I'll bet that's the face down out on her field! Which means…"_ Jean thinks to himself.

Vision. Jean imagines how the move would play out, in blueish tones. Skylara summons Ninjini, then activates 'Reflect Barrier'. _"If Skylara can somehow summon a monster this turn, the damage from the effect of 'Summon Tax' will be redirected to me, due to 'Barrier's' effect. However..."_ Jean thinks to himself, in voice-over. The vision ends.

Back to the present. _"The damage from the effect of 'Summon Tax' would only be half the summoned monster's attack points. So, in order to get rid of my one thousand lifepoints, Skylara would need to summon a monster with an assault power of at least two thousand points and the odds of that are slim. The odds of me continuing to back her into a corner, however, are one hundred percent!"_ Jean thinks to himself. "I activate the 'Speed Spell-Tyrant Force'! Now, during this turn, every time a card on your field is destroyed, you take three hundred points a' damage! Next, I activate the effect of 'Speed World Two'!" Jean says. His speed counters decrease from 10 to 0.

And Skylara passes him.

"Now, by removing ten of my speed counters, I can destroy one card on the field! And the card I'm destroying is 'Summon Tax'!" Says Jean.

Skylara looks back over her shoulder. "That is just what I was hoping." Skylara says.

"What?!" Asks Jean.

"I now activate Cerberus the Shadow Hound's ability. Now, by removing a fusion-material synchro monster from play, Cerberus gains that monster's abilities until the turn's end phase. And the monster I choose to remove is Cynder! So now, Cerberus the Shadow Hound has inherited the ability, to stop you from using 'Speed World Two' to destroy 'Summon Tax'! However, for a price." Skylara says.

"What's the price?!" Asks Jean.

"To save 'Summon Tax', Cerberus must be released!" Skylara says. Cerberus vaporizes into a bolt of energy, which cancels out the one aimed at 'Summon Tax'. "However, come this turn's end phase. Cerberus is allowed to return to the field." Says Skylara.

"So, he's not really going anywhere at all!" Leo says. "Yeah, Skylara's got it all planned out!" Says Luna. "It sure seems that way. Especially, if this combo that she set up works." Bruno says. "We should know soon!" Says Crow.

"Rrrghh! Don't think you've won this yet, Skylara! I summon to the field, the monster Hypnocorn!" Jean says. Hypnocorn is a cute, little blue creature, with swirly horns.

"Go ahead! However, you now take damage due to 'Summon Tax's' effect! Half your monster's attack points!" Says Skylara.

Jean's lifepoints are blasted down to 300. "Aggghhh! No prob, 'cause when Hypnocorn is summoned, I'm allowed to destroy a face down spell or trap card on the field! You only have one, and I have a hunch what it is! 'Reflect Barrier'!" Jean says.

Skylara's trap flips and then shatters, he was right.

"No! Now Skylara's plan to win won't work!" Says Leo.

"And now, due to 'Tyrant Force', you take damage to the tune of three hundred!" Jean says.

"Uggghhh!" Skylara's lifepoints reduce to 600, in a crackle of electricity.

"Now, I play 'Chain Whirlwind'! Since a card was destroyed due to an effect, two spell or trap cards are now also destroyed! So, say goodbye to 'Summon Tax' and 'Demon Play, Demon Out'!" Says Jean.

"All of Skylara's cards! They're, gone!" Leo says. "And Jean's not even done yet!" Says Yusei.

"'Tyrant Force', force Skylara's lifepoints down, once again!" Jean says.

With another crackling blast, Skylara is down to 300 lifepoints.

The stadium screens all show the scoreboard, Jean and Skylara are neck-and-neck, each with 300 lifepoints and 0 speed counters.

"The points are all even! But, since Jean simply has to say 'he's entering into his turn's end phase to win', that may not matter!" Says the announcer.

"So then, she lost?" Leo asks. "No!" Says Luna. Jack is silent, his eyes intent on the duel.

Jean rides up and pulls even with Skylara, watching her face. _"It's over. All I need to do is end my turn and Skylara will lose! Except that..."_ Jean thinks to himself.

"What in the world?! Jean, on the verge of victory, seems to be having second thoughts about his tactic for triumph!" The announcer says.

The crowd is silent, stunned.

The cheerleaders have stopped cheering, their pompoms at their sides or pressed to their chests, anxiously.

 _"This whole match, my one goal has been to prove that Team Unicorn is the best! ... And..."_ Jean thinks to himself. He is still staring at Skylara's face.

Skylara still doesn't notice. To the end, she still shows only resolve, no fear.

 _"Ya gotta beat the best! Skylara was right, letting 'er run outta cards is no way to win."_ Jean thinks to himself.

"What's going on? Why won't Jean just end his turn, we'll win by disqualification!" Says Breo. Andre is smiling. he's realized the same thing Jean has. "Yeah, and who wants that?" Andre asks. "Are you nuts?! Andre, that was our plan from the very start!" Says Breo. "I know, but sometimes plans change." Andre says.

Flashback. Jean approaches Andre after a street duel in a parking garage years ago. "Whaddaya say we join forces?" Asks Jean. "Join forces?" Andre asks. "Yes, duel together on the same team. Because on a team, you win at any cost. There's no place for pity because your teammates are counting on you." Says Jean. "Ya know, you're right." Andre says. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "Sure! I know what it looks like, that Jean's letting Skylara off the hook here, even pitying her. But, I don't think that's the case at all." Says Andre. "So, what then?" Breo asks.

The two riders zoom past the booths.

"It's like Jean once said to me, 'on a team, you win at any cost'. I think, I finally understand what he meant by that. I think even Jean understands it better now himself. Winning isn't beating an opponent by some technicality. It's taking him or her down like a true duelist! And that's why Jean's decided not to end his turn now. Sure, he wants to win! But, truly win for us!" Says Andre.

Jean continues to watch Skylara's face.

The two riders fly around another curve.

"In that case, Andre." Breo says.

As Jean rounds the curve, he sees his team's arrow sign, the one used to indicate a pit stop. "Huh?!" Asks Jean.

Breo is holding up the sign, all but jumping up and down. "Jean, we're with you all the way! Win or lose..." Breo says, encouragingly.

Jean hears the rest also through his helmet radio. "Let's do it like true duelists!" Says Breo, encouragingly, via-radio. "All right, Skylara! If I'm gonna beat you, I'm gonna do it with force!" Jean says.

Skylara's eyes soon shift back to their normal emerald green hue. "Oh? Then go for it." Says Skylara.

And the crowd goes wild.

"I can't believe it! This card combat is continuing!" The announcer says.

"Go! Hypnocorn, to battle! Attack Rapid Warrior!" Says Jean.

"Yeah!" Both Andre and Breo say.

"Skylara!" Says Leo, Luna, Bruno, Crow and Akiza. "Mama!" Chibi Chibi says.

 _"Perfect. The one card that can help, the one card left in my hand!"_ Skylara thinks to herself. "Hayabusa Knight! And now, I activate its special ability!" Says Skylara. Hayabusa Knight's depicted figure appears, a human version of a hawk wearing knights armor, holding up its sword ready to defend its duelist.

"Oh no! But, that would mean...!" Jean says.

"It means, by sending Hayabusa to the grave, Rapid Warrior's defense points increase by fifteen-hundred." Says Skylara.

The shards of the broken sword close in around Hypnocorn, and when it's squished, it explodes. "Aaaaaaghh!" Jean's lifepoints decrease to 0 and his runner starts gushing steam, skidding to a barely-controlled stop in Skylara's wake.

Skylara races ahead.

"What a finish! With her very last card, Skylara and Team Six-D's win!" The announcer says.


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter 11: Party Crashers_

A hush is over the Kaibadome crowd with the sudden end to the duel, broken by nervous murmurs. "What happened?" "Did you see…" "Did she win?" "Aaahh..."

However, according to the scoreboard, Skylara's lifepoints remain at 300, while Jean's counter is blinking at 0. It's becoming clear what has just happened.

The silence in the stadium hangs over the pit booth. Luna, Leo, Bruno, Minako, Carly, Crow, Stephanie, Akiza, Jack, Chibi Chibi and Yusei are staring out at the track. "Is that it?" Leo asks, whispering. "Is it over?" Asks Luna, whispering. Jack nods. "Uh-huh." Jack says. He turns to them excitedly, beginning to shake the tension. "Look at the scoring board!" Says Jack. The twins turn to look ahead of them, in unison. "Huh?" Both Leo and Luna ask. Then they both brighten, upon reading it, and so does the rest of the group, they then all let out a cheer! "We did it!" Says Luna. "Yeah! Six-D's!" Crow says.

To the roar of the crowd, holographic images of Skylara's face and Team 6Ds' logo pop up on every holographic screen all the way around the perimeter of the track and all over the Sphere.

As she keeps riding, Skylara is in a spotlight. The passing lights glitter against the hood of Skylara's runner and the deck holder in her wrist is empty.

"Incredible! After chipping away at each other's lifepoints, clashing again and again, and careening through battle after battle! The one who still rides the course and has managed to keep her undefeated streak intact! Is Team Six-D's very own, Skylara Galatea!" Says the announcer.

As she rides, Skylara's visor obscures her face, as the camera shot spirals around her.

The crowd goes wild. Trudge is smiling, with satisfaction, and the Duel Academy kids' expressions range from excited to charmed to a bit startled.

Akiza's parents are smiling, too.

Skylara keeps riding.

"From the jaws of defeat, Skylara has snagged a miraculous come-from-behind victory!" The announcer says.

Skylara stops on the track and her friends run out from the pit booths to meet her, as she takes off her helmet. "Skylara!" Says all of them.

Leo jumps up and hugs Skylara. "Skylara Galatea, you're my hero!" Leo says.

Luna jumps up to hug both of them. "No, she's my hero!" Says Luna. "She's everyone's hero!" Crow says.

Jack, still slightly unsteady on his feet and leaning on a cane, joins him, Yusei and Akiza standing near Skylara's runner. "Mama!" Says Chibi Chibi, happily and cutely. She's reaching for Skylara, still being held in one of Jack's arms. "That was incredible dueling!" Jack says. He hands Chibi Chibi over to Skylara, who takes her and holds her, as she settles against her future-to-be-mother's chest. "Way to win one for the team!" Says Akiza. "Yeah, nice job, sis!" Yusei says. "How are you feeling, Jack? Are you alright?" Asks Skylara. "It's the miracle of enthusiasm! The rush of excitement you gave me made my injuries vanish entirely!" Jack says. He smiles down at Skylara, proudly, with soft eyes. "But seriously, great job, love." Says Jack. Skylara meets his eyes for a long moment and then looks back, as they hear Jean's engine approach.

Jean takes off his helmet, climbs off of his runner, and approaches them.

Skylara gets off of her own runner, settling Chibi Chibi against her side, and her friends stand aside, looking apprehensive. "Jean." Skylara says. "My team poured everything we had into getting into this tournament. And in the end, I had you, Skylara. I could've coasted through and won on a technicality. But, I let you rattle me. Suddenly, it wasn't enough to win because of some rule. I wanted to defeat you in every sense of the word!" Says Jean. He is smiling, ruefully. "I dunno how you did it. But, you really got under my skin. This is not Team Unicorn's defeat, Skylara. This is my defeat." Jean says.

"I won't let you take all the blame." Says Andre.

"Huh?" Jean asks. He looks over his shoulder, and Skylara follows his gaze.

Andre and Breo have joined them from the other pit booth. "But, it's true. I lost. I got stupid and careless and I threw away all of our efforts." Says Jean. "What're you talking about? You were amazing out there, Jean! I've never been prouder to be your teammate!" Breo says. "Are you serious right now?" Asks Jean. "You're always so cold and calculating, Jean. But this time, you were passionate. It was great." Andre says. "Well, I-I guess, there is something to that. Maybe you didn't bring out a weakness in me, maybe it was a strength you brought out. For even though I lost, I feel amped and energized, and that's kind of a new feeling for me." Says Jean. "I can't imagine anyone dueling someone with your energy and skills, and not feeling the same way, Skylara." Breo says. "Thank you, Breo." Says Skylara. "We should be thanking you. This duel may've changed how Team Unicorn does things, and for the better." Jean says. "This duel may have changed how we do things, as well. We may be a team. However, someone forgot to tell us what being on a team really means." Says Skylara. Yusei, Akiza, Jack and Crow smile behind her, sheepishly. "This duel forced us to think of ourselves, not as four individuals, but as one individual team. That is all you." Skylara says. "What Skylara's tryin' to say is, you guys rock!" Says Crow. "Don't let the fact that Skylara wiped the track with you get you down. You are truly a formidable force." Jack says. "You guys really are great. I hope you win your next duel." Says Akiza. Yusei nods, in agreement. "Tell you what, we'll keep winnin' our duels! As long as you guys keep winnin' yours so that we can duel again!" Jean says. "You got it. That is a deal I won't hesitate to make, Jean." Says Skylara. She and Jean shake hands. "Let's go all the way, my friend. Let's meet in the Finals." Jean says. "Heh-ha!" Says Breo. He and Andre place their hands on top of Skylara and Jean's clasped hands, then so do Crow, Akiza, Yusei and Jack. Skylara's a bit surprised, then smiles. "You bring the awesome and we shall bring the incredible!" Skylara says, addressing Jean. "We'll meet again, in the Finals!" Says all of them.

Up on the Sphere, a camera pans across each face, as the two teams stand together, their pact made.

The crowd goes wild.

All except the three shadowy figures in the doorway at the top of the stands, who are grinning most unpleasantly.

Night at Skylara and the guys' place, Zora's clock reads 7:05 PM.

Jack is clearing his throat. "Let us raise our glasses to honor Team Six-Ds' first victory!" Jack says. A slightly fancy dining table, complete with white tablecloth, has been laid out in the garage. Jack is standing on one side of the table, with Skylara, then Yusei to his left, and Crow, then Akiza to his right. The twins are standing at the end of the table near Akiza, Chibi Chibi is standing between Jack and Skylara, and Bruno's at the end next to Yusei.

And on the other side, Carly's standing next to the twins, Minako in the center, and Stephanie next to Bruno. Each person of Team 6Ds', duelists and pit crew, is back in their usual clothes, raising his or her glass. "Hip, hip…" Says Jack. "Hooray!" The rest all say.

Leo gulps down his glass and sets it down, with a happy sigh. "Boy, when Jack wiped out and was trying to limp across the lap line! I was like, 'aww, no way, they're done-for!' But Skylara…" Says Leo. "What're you blathering about, you little worm! Jack Atlas does not limp, Jack Atlas is a warrior!" Skylara, Yusei, Akiza and Crow looked a bit worried as soon as Leo started talking, and now all of them look amused, they saw it coming. "No, ah-I know, Jack! I was just saying that uh…" Leo says. Crow jumps in, his tone teasing, he's trying to stir Jack up. "He was just sayin' that when you failed to survive in the duel, he wasn't sure if Skylara would be able to pick up your slack." Says Crow. "Pick up my slack?!" Jack asks. "Let's just tell it like it was, Jack. Ya did kinda go down like a lead balloon in that duel." Says Crow. "At least I was in that duel in the first place, big man! At least, I didn't bail out on my friends over an insignificant flesh wound!" Jack says. And him and Crow are nose-to-nose, shouting at each other. The twins look worried. "I had a note from the doctor! He said there was no way I could duel!" Says Crow. "If you were a real man, you wouldn't let some uppity doctor tell you whatcha can and can't do!" Jack says. "Uh, I thought this was supposed to be a celebration, not another duel." Says Leo. "Not my fault! You and me, outside, look out!" Crow says. "Yeah, well, you're the one who started this, Leo." Says Luna. Jack and Crow are growling at each other.

Stephanie, falsely cheerful, pushes them apart and gets between them. "Heheh, come on, boys! This is a party, let's not bicker!" Stephanie says.

Carly appears next to them. "Exactly. Jack, let this one go and have fun. Let's eat some…" Says Carly. She suddenly notices Stephanie. "Hey wait a second, what're you doing here! You're café is across the street!" Carly says. "What about you! Shouldn't you be off reporting on a story on something?" Asks Stephanie. Carly wraps her arms around one of Jack's. "I'm working on a profile piece, which requires me to be around my subject at all times!" Carly says.

Minako points, accusingly. "Potential conflict in progress, break it up!" Says Minako.

"Hey, Minako? If you're at the party, who's running the Public Security Bureau?" Carly asks.

Minako draws on the tablecloth, with a fingertip. "Well, I, I, need to be here, in order to provide protection for the team." Says Minako, sheepishly.

Carly points, accusingly. "Are you saying you're willing to put the needs of a few over the needs of the city? 'Cause I'm gonna write an article about that!" Carly says.

Minako slams both hands down and leans over the table. "Go ahead and write whatever you want, you tattletaling troublemaker! I will squash your little story!" Says Minako.

"You just said that you would squash the freedom of the press and everybody here heard it!" Carly says.

She and Minako continue arguing.

Skylara, Yusei and Bruno watch, a bit amused.

"Don't you try it!" Says Minako.

"I don't think I've ever been at a party quite like this before." Bruno says.

"…Vicious…" Says Carly. "…Your fault!..." Minako says. "Stop yelling at each other, you're giving me a headache!" Says Stephanie.

"Guess everyone's just blowing off some steam. You gotta admit, there's been a lot of pressure building up over the last couple of months." Yusei says.

"Oh, you've got a headache..." Says Carly.

Then, another individual approaches. "Hmph. One little victory and Team Six-D's decides to throw a party. That seems a little premature, does it not?" Sherry asks. She is standing in the garage doorway that opens on the side of the house, her runner parked just outside and helmet under one arm.

Everyone is staring at her. "Sherry." Says Skylara. Chibi Chibi suddenly reaches up for her. "Mama." Chibi Chibi says, slightly scared. Skylara picks her up and holds her in her arms, as she settles against her chest. "What is she doing here?" Asks Bruno. "Does, uh, anybody know who the party crasher is?" Carly asks.

"Bonsoir, my name is Sherry LeBlanc. I am friends with Skylara and Akiza."

"So, have you and your team dueled in the Preliminaries yet, Sherry?" Asks Skylara.

"Indeed. Although, since you rejected me, Skylara. Ellsworth and I had to roll into the fray without a third teammate." Sherry says.

"But, a two-person team only gets eight thousand lifepoints." Says Bruno. He turns around and approaches the computer.

"It sounds to me like someone is already making excuses for why she lost!" Carly says.

Bruno clicks the mouse a few times, and then whirls. "What? Sherry, you defeated all three members of the other team by yourself?!" Asks Bruno, surprised and accusingly.

"Huh?!" Carly asks. "Seriously?" Asks Jack. "Were these three opponents actually trying to duel you? Or uh...?" Akiza asks.

"I did what I had to do. My situation demands of me that I stay alive in this tournament no matter what." Says Sherry, quietly.

"Are you talking about Yliaster?" Skylara asks. "Wait, Yliaster?" Asks Minako. "Have you been able to learn anything more about what they want from you?" Skylara asks.

"Nothing solid. But, I do have information that there's a connection between them and that duel bot named Ghost that attacked your half-twin brother Yusei." Says Sherry.

"Then we need to talk!" Yusei says. "How do you know about the duel bot Ghost, Sherry? I don't recall ever telling you about that particular incident." Says Skylara. Jack is now standing next to her, a little bit suspicious of Sherry, especially around his future-to-be-daughter.

"I have my ways. I believe the Ghost is part of a massive conspiracy. But I must know more, what can you tell me about it?" Sherry asks.

"Not very much at all." Says Yusei.

Flashback. At the Ghost's command, Meklord Emperor Wisel's chest glows in an infinity symbol, beams shoot out of it and wrap around Stardust Dragon's limbs, neck, waist and torso, like glowing ropes, dragging Yusei's monster toward it. Stardust roars and fights against them. "It was an incredibly sophisticated duelist. It used a card I'd never heard of before, 'Meklord Emperor'. And it was able to absorb synchros." Yusei says, in voice-over. Stardust Dragon shrieks one final time, and turns into light, getting sucked into Meklord Emperor Wisel's chest. "Where did the bot come from?" Asks Sherry, in voice-over. Meklord Emperor Wisel's new attack point total is 5000. Its left arm, its attack arm, is glowing with Stardust's iridescent shimmer, and seems to be taking on vestiges of the shape of the dragon's distinctive head. "It was a prototype developed by Sector Security. The theory is that someone stole it from H-Q and reprogrammed it." Yusei says, in voice-over. "Who?" Asks Sherry, in voice-over.

Later, Yusei, Skylara, Jack and Crow find the duel bot crashed in the forest. Crow tries to touch its shoulder and flinches, as the robot's arm pops off and falls to the ground, sparking and crackling. "No idea. We found a memory chip on it. However, it was wiped clean." Yusei says, in voice-over. The socket that held the arm is a metallic fixture, the Ghost's eyes are open, but lifeless. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "I wish I knew more." Says Yusei.

"Has your path crossed with anyone else new and peculiar recently?" Sherry asks.

"Huh? Ours has! It was just after the incident with the duel bot, actually. This new kid Lester transferred to our school." Says Leo.

Flashback. The new transfer student has luxurious, dark red hair, kept in a thick braid to his waist, and piercing green eyes. "There was something really 'off' about him." Leo says, in voice-over.

Change Flashback. Lester demonstrates a jump on the duel board, then later, masked in a helmet, challenges the twins to a turbo-duel. "That's right, Leo and I ended up dueling him. And, you know, now that I think about it..." Says Luna, in voice-over. The twins look up at the pieces of a frightening new monster hanging in the air above them, nervously. The pieces combine. "During our duel, he combined five monsters to form a Meklord Emperor, right?" Luna asks, in voice-over. "Yeah, yeah! Meklord Emperor Skiel!" Says Leo, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "A-and also, after that..." Leo says.

Flashback. A glowing white circle appears on the road around each side of the duel, one around Lester, one around both twins. "This, like, glowing eight formed around us!" Says Leo, in voice-over. "It wasn't an eight, Leo. It was two circles." Luna says, in voice-over.

Meklord Emperor Skiel levels its fearsome gun at the twins.

Luna barely deflects the tremendous blast with a trap card. "What d'you think an eight is? It's two circles, draw one if you don't believe me!" Says Leo, in voice-over. Smaller blasts rain down around Luna, as she weaves, unsteadily. "It could've been the symbol for infinity..." Crow says, in voice-over.

Leo gasps, as Luna rides out of the cloud of smoke, nearly fainting on her feet. "It was two circles!" Says Luna, in voice-over. "Either way, after that..." Leo says, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "We started taking real damage. Like the kind that actually hurts." Says Leo.

"Hmph. That's what happened when that fake me tried to take my place." Jack says, now holding Skylara close to him from behind her. Chibi Chibi's yawning as she starts to drift to sleep, being held in her future-to-be-mother's arms, and her future-to-be-father's arms circled around her and Skylara, she feels safe and secure in the presence of her future-to-be-parents.

Flashback. A circle of light spreads out from the two identical, circular white runners, with the activation of 'Speed World Two', then a separate ring appears around each. "During our duel, these glowing white circles appeared, and we both started taking real damage." Says Jack, in voice-over. Two Dragon Archfiends, one red, the other more purplish, clash ferociously, and Jack's lifepoints fall painfully from 3500 to 3200.

Change Flashback. Majestic Red Dragon breathes in another dragon's power. "Now, allow me to show you what a real duelist is capable of!" Jack says. Majestic Red Dragon, glowing like the heart of a volcano, now has 7000 attack points, and the three false Dragon Archfiends are looking a lot smaller than they were before.

"Seven thousand attack points?!"

"Go, Ultimate Powerforce!" Says Jack.

Power has been gathering in the air around Majestic Red Dragon, glowing like red-hot coals. It rears back, and forms a blinding, blazing whirlwind of fire, bulleting forward surrounded by a huge cloud of fire, glowing brighter and brighter, larger and larger, the three false Archfiends are overwhelmed. They roar and evaporate, incinerated. The false Jack screams, his helmet shattering. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "We discovered that, that fake me was actually a duel bot. But after I defeated it, when we went back to the cave where I was being held, all of the evidence had disappeared." Jack says.

"So, you think this someone who stole the duel bot, has the ability to clone it, and make, uh, like a whole army or something?" Asks Luna.

"I s'pose anything is possible when you've got the know-how and the right tech. And whoever's at the center of all this certainly has some access to advanced technology. Remember the factory we went to while tracking down our stolen engine program?" Jack asks.

Flashback. The factory's architecture is like nothing else in New Domino, swooped and modern and futuristic. "Oh, yeah. That place was like the inside of a space ship from some science fiction movie. What was the deal with that factory?" Asks Crow, in voice-over. Jack, Crow and Bruno discover an alien control panel at the heart of the factory. "D'you think that was some kind of Yliaster operation?" Crow asks, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "More to the point, what exactly d'you think they're building in there?" Asks Crow. "Something our engine program would be needed for." Bruno says. "Didn't you go further in and poke around a little?" Asks Crow. "Yeah. But, I got jumped by some guy wearing a bird mask. He knocked me unconscious, so unfortunately, I don't remember any…" Bruno says. "So, nothin'?" Asks Crow. "Yeah, sorry." Bruno says.

"Why is Yliaster aiming for us? I mean, what do we have to do with them?" Asks Luna.

"If I had to guess, I would say it is because you are Signers." Sherry says.

Skylara, Jack, Akiza, Luna, Yusei and Crow all look anxious, how did she know that?! "So wait, are you saying you know about the power of the Crimson Dragon?" Asks Skylara. "But of course. Do you think I would ask you to join my team, if I didn't know about that? Just like, I know your young daughter seems to have gained traces of that same power that you Signers all have. Which might make her a target for Yliaster, considering she's so young and defenseless." Sherry says.

Skylara frowns. Jack moves to the side of her and places one of his hands on Chibi Chibi's head, lightly brushing at her hair, as she sleeps in Skylara's arms.

Meanwhile, behind Jack, Carly and Stephanie are entirely mystified.

"So, what do these Yliaster creeps want with the Crimson Dragon?" Asks Jack.

"Lazar! That freaky little clown must know something about all this! He's the one who stole the engine program, he's gotta be connected!" Crow says.

"I, don't know where he is these days. The official statement is that Vice-Director Lazar is currently taking a long leave of absence." Says Minako.

"He's clearly got something to hide! Maybe his superior could help us get to the bottom of this!" Crow says.

"Vice-Director Lazar reports straight to the Director himself. But, I haven't heard a single murmur about who took over for that no-good Goodwin." Says Jack.

Carly and Stephanie exchange a dubious look, still entirely in the dark.

"In the interest of a checks-and-balances system, Goodwin's been replaced by four Directors. At least, that's what I was told." Minako says.

"So, there is four?" Asks Skylara. "Can you arrange a little sit-down for us?" Jack asks.

"Well, the thing about that is. Umm, other than Vice-Director Lazar, no one has actually met these four Directors." Says Minako.

"Are you serious?! You don't find that somewhat suspicious?" Crow asks.

"No-o, of..." Says Minako. She sighs. "Of course I do." Minako says. She turns to the ramp.

Carly and Stephanie exchange more questioning looks and shake their heads.

"Where are you going, Minako?" Asks Jack.

Minako turns back to them. "I'm going to march into the head office and demand to have a word with the new Directors." Minako. She bows. "I will let you know whatever I find out." Says Minako. She walks up the ramp.

Carly and Stephanie dash over to where she stood, making a hasty, innocent, and far-too-cheery exit. "I think I'll go back to the café." Stephanie says. "It was an excellent party, thanks for the cake!" Says Carly. They dance out, giggling hysterically.

Sherry and Skylara are both frowning toward the front door.

"I hope that she's okay." Bruno says.

"The Public Security Bureau is definitely involved. But, they're covering their tracks, as well. We already infiltrated them, remember?" Asks Sherry.

"Oh, yeah, right. When everything in there went into lockdown." Crow says. "What happened when you guys went inside?" Asks Akiza.

"I am not entirely sure." Sherry says.

Flashback. The mystery card that depicts a shining portal starts to light up, several beams of golden light shine from its center, as though through the image of the portal. Sherry and Bruno flinch back, shielding their eyes from the light. "We worked our way to the basement. But, once we arrived..." Says Sherry, in voice-over.

Above the Security building, the sky grows dark and scary, several concentric layers of purple clouds blossom from above the rooftop satellite dish, as though the sky has just opened up a spontaneous black hole. Purple lightning strikes through the heavens, crackling around the building's rooftop satellite dish. "Everything happened so fast. A violent storm seemed to erupt out of nowhere, and proceeded to tear the whole room apart." Sherry says, in voice-over.

Skylara and Ellsworth run into the Mainframe room to find a windy storm of random dust and bolts of energy. Skylara runs a few steps, but stops short, guarding her face with a hand, as she peers toward the center of the room.

Sherry and Bruno haven't moved from the brightly-shining computer console, which only shines brighter and brighter as they struggle to stay standing. The mysterious card on the scanner is glimmering with shadowy purple lights. "There was a blinding light, and then..." Says Sherry, in voice-over.

Skylara, with Chibi Chibi held in her arms, runs toward the center of the storm, just as the card glows white, and the light spreads from it like the blast of a bomb, encompassing first Sherry and Bruno, then Chibi Chibi and Skylara, and finally Ellsworth. "It was as if we were transported from the basement to somewhere that felt almost, not of this world." Sherry says, in voice-over.

When the white light fades, it doesn't fade much, because Skylara, Chibi Chibi, Bruno and Sherry now find themselves standing in a void of white tiles. They look around, bemused. "There was someone there... or... some thing." Says Sherry, in voice-over. As Skylara looks around, she is unaware that her face is being mapped on a grid and photographed. Skylara glances over, as though presciently aware of the scrutiny. She has noticed something else in this empty white void, rotating benignly some distance away. "That is right, the floating eye! The thing that terrified Chibi Chibi into showing me her memories." Skylara says, in voice-over.

As it turns to face them head-on, a gruff and sinister, royal blue eye can be glimpsed through the casing. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "So, is this floating eye pulling Yliaster's strings?" Asks Jack.

"Per'aps." Sherry says. She glances over toward Yusei, and he returns the glance. "But, I don't know. It is hard to be sure of anything with so many questions still lingering." Says Sherry.

No one sees Bruno rest a hand on the computer desk beside the keyboard, breathing heavily, face pale, as though suddenly fevered.

Sherry turns to leave. "But, I believe that if I continue to win in the tournament, Yliaster will approach me eventually and we will have our answers." Sherry says. She mounts her runner at the garage doorway. "Skylara Galatea, I hope that you and I do not have to face each other before then." Says Sherry.

"Why, what would happen in that case?" Skylara asks.

"I'd have to beat you, of course." Says Sherry. She turns away, and the grille of her helmet seals. Sherry pops an impressive stationary wheelie and rotates her runner 180 degrees on her back wheel, then rides up the ramp from the garage into the night.

"That girl really has perfected the whole 'mysterious and dramatic' thing, hasn't she?" Akiza asks.

"Hmm." Says Skylara. _"We have to figure out what is going on."_ Skylara thinks to herself. "Hm?" Skylara asks. She heard a thump.

Bruno is leaning on the table for balance.

"Something wrong?" Asks Yusei.

"You look pale. Are you okay, Bruno?" Luna asks. "Yeah, I'm..." Says Bruno. He straightens up, eyes slightly wild, beads of sweat on his cheeks, and stops leaning. "I just got a little dizzy. I'm going outside to get some air, it's been a long day." Bruno says.

The streetlights along the highway seem somewhat redundant, since it's also lit by windows from every skyscraper along the road. Sherry rides alone, her greenish-tinted headlight shining ahead. _"Why? Why can I not shake the feeling that the floating eye…"_ Sherry thinks to herself.

Flashback. There was something else in the empty white void, rotating benignly some distance away. _"Whatever it is, is somehow related to Yusei Fudo?"_ Sherry thinks to herself, in voice-over. As it turns to face them head-on, a gruff and sinister royal blue eye can be glimpsed through the casing. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. _"Skylara, do you really know who your half-twin brother is?"_ Sherry thinks to herself.

Skylara is standing in the shower, looking up at the night sky through the window, as the water runs down her body. Every Sign and scar that mark up Skylara's body is visible. _"If Sherry's conspiracy theories are right, we are going to have to defeat those Meklord Emperors. I have to master the Synchro Solution."_ Skylara thinks to herself.

Flashback. The unnervingly perceptive Visor meets her gaze, levelly. "You're not ready to face the Ghost." Says Visor.

Skylara's eyes betray alarm, how does he know?!

"You must first find what you're looking for." Visor says.

"'Looking for?'" Asks Skylara.

"That's right. The Synchro Solution." Visor says.

"The Synchro Solution? What's that all about? And another thing! Who exactly are you?! How about a name or something, buddy?!" Asks Crow.

"You can call me Visor."

"So Visor, how do we know we can trust you?" Skylara asks.

"You can't. Where I come from, trust is something a person has to earn. Guess you'll have to duel me and find out for yourself!" Says Visor.

"Lead the way, Visor." Skylara says.

Change flashback. "Well done, Skylara! Now, prepare to step outta the shadows and into the light! Go, Accel Synchro!" Says Visor.

"Accel Synchro?!" Skylara asks.

Visor accelerates ahead, the air around him turning purplish, then electric blue. As he continues to speed up, the blue air starts to turn white with the energy of his passing it, obscuring him from view. A green ring blossoms around the track, as though the riders themselves are flying through the rings of a synchro-summoning. The air around Visor is now a vibrant tuner's green, and more rings are appearing.

Skylara watches, in stunned amazement.

There's a bright, blinding flash.

Then suddenly, the air behind her seems to pulse, dispersing blurry waves of intangible power. Skylara is forced toward the side of the track, as the air space directly beside her shines brighter and brighter.

And Visor comes roaring out of it. Above him hovers a new monster, armored in bright lime green and orange.

"Where did that monster come from?! And what in the world is it?" Asks Skylara.

"It's an accel synchro monster, Tech Genus Blade Blaster." Visor says.

"Let him have it, Drobot! Mega Blasters!" Says Skylara.

"Hold it right there. I play an ability, it lets me remove Blade Blaster from play, once per turn." Visor says.

"But, that means…!" Says Skylara.

Tech Genus Blade Blaster vanishes, all 3700 points of her attack crash down on Visor, instead. His lifepoints sink straight to 0. The vents on the sides of Visor's runner gush steam, it swings around, spinning out of control, then spins a few more times on its back wheel, coming to a relatively controlled stop.

Skylara rides over to Visor, who raises his head and meets her gaze, expression closed. Skylara walks a few steps toward him. "That didn't have to be the finish, Visor! Why did you do that? Why did you protect your monster with your lifepoints, it makes no sense?!" Skylara asks. Visor chuckles. "Hmhm! I would explain, but I'm afraid that I can't reveal all the secrets of the Accel Synchro, Skylara." Says Visor. "What do you mean? What don't I know?" Skylara asks. "The answers will all come in good time. Until then, I'll be looking forward to our next duel." Says Visor. "Hm?" Skylara asks. Visor revs his engine and peels out, vanishing into the night.

Leaving Skylara standing there on the track, resolute. "I've found the Synchro Solution! However, if I'm going to master it, I have to push beyond my limits!" Says Skylara.

Above and behind her, the full moon is shining. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. Skylara looks up at the yellowish crescent moon among patchy clouds, through the bathroom window. _"I need to push harder. I haven't overcome my limits yet. If Accel Synchro really can defeat these Meklord Emperors, then I have too learn how to master it. No matter what it takes, I have to get better."_ Skylara thinks to herself.

She suddenly feels a hand touch her back, which startles her. Skylara turns to look back over her shoulder, seeing Jack standing there. Jack breaks the distance and presses himself up against her from behind, wrapping one of his arms around her waist. "You okay, love?" Jack asks. "Yes, I'm fine." Says Skylara. Jack lightly traces his free hand down her back. "So beautiful." Jack says. Skylara turns to face him, as he holds her close to himself. They then kiss, passionately.

Jack's soon cradling Skylara in his arms, carrying her into their bedroom. Jack closes the door shut with his foot and carries her over to the bed, lying her down on it. Jack then gets on the bed, his body pressed up against Skylara's and hovering over her. Jack positions himself between Skylara's legs and kisses her, as he slowly enters her. Jack starts thrusting, going at a slow and easy pace inside of Skylara, as they continue to kiss. They soon break the kiss, as Jack starts to pick up the pace of his thrusts, making Skylara moan out a bit. Jack wraps his arms around her and suddenly flips them over, having Skylara straddle him. Skylara reacts fast enough and starts riding Jack, making him moan out a bit. Jack places his hands on Skylara's hips, helping her out a bit, as she continues to ride him, making him throw his head back on the bed and moan out even more. "Oh... Skylara. You feel... so good..." Says Jack, moaning. Skylara smiles down at him, as she keeps riding him. Jack sits up, with Skylara still straddling him, and wraps his arms around her, pressing their bodies up against each other, and starts thrusting up into her. "Skylara... I'm going to... " Jack says, panting. He does a few more thrusts and cums deep inside of Skylara, making her arch her back a bit. Skylara's clinging to him a bit, as Jack continues to hold her close to himself, as they're both breathing, heavily, in sync. Jack presses his forehead against Skylara's. "I love you." Says Skylara. Jack smiles and looks her in the eyes. "I love you, too." Jack says. He then kisses her and she returns it back to him, sharing a passionate kiss.

The dark waves crash against the rocky cliffs near the shore, as though trying to reach the lit freeway above.

Bruno stands alone on the dark, silent beach, watching the mild waves lap the shore.

In the distance off to his left, a lit freeway bridge seems almost to glow, from its dramatic swoop upward, it may even be the original Daedalus Bridge itself.

Beyond it, the distant skyscrapers of the city cast lesser lights from their illuminated windows.

 _"This is where I was found. Who am I? Where did I come from?"_ Bruno thinks to himself.

He hears a meow, and is startled out of his gloomy reverie. "Huh? What?" Asks Bruno. He looks down, a positively adorable Siamese kitten, its head too big for its body, is rubbing against one of his sneakers, playfully, meowing, expressively. Bruno carefully picks it up, chuckling. It meows again, looking trustingly up at him, and closes its eyes, with a happy croon. Then suddenly, the irises of Bruno's eyes light up a fierce neon red. "Ahh!" Bruno says.

He's getting a vision, several rapidfire snippets of memory. A headlight on a dark street suddenly illuminates a cat, that looks just like the one Bruno found on the beach, and it growls a surprised meow, fur upraised.

Bruno stands in a darkened doorway in the mysterious factory, and Primo confronts him. "You are in a place that you do not belong." Says Primo. "Hey, who are you?" Bruno asks. Then he feels something, the world seems to reverse colors, he holds his own head, as though overcome with a terrible headache. "Aaaccghh! What're you doing?! Aghh, my head!" Says Bruno. Primo punches him in the stomach, while he's distracted, and he slumps to the floor, immediately unconscious.

"You will not interfere!" Primo says. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. As Bruno holds the kitten, he feels as though the world is spinning slowly in an unearthly vortex of purples and blues. _"That man! Does he know who I am? Why am I even here? Why do I feel like someone is watching me, waiting for me to do something!"_ Bruno thinks to himself.

Flashback. There was something else in the empty white void, rotating benignly some distance away. As it turns to face them head-on, a gruff and sinister royal blue eye can be glimpsed through the casing.

From there, it shifts to a vision, as Bruno faces the floating eye alone across the white void, eyes glowing red, then sees innumerable streams of ones and zeroes flying past toward a massive metal framework or grid in spiraling helical chains. The flashback/vision ends.

Back to the present. Bruno stands there, eyes wide and glowing red, gasps as though pained. A metallic sort of hum can be heard. The kitten smiles up at him, oblivious to his altered state, until he drops it to grip his head with both hands, crying out. A metallic whine can be heard through his shouts, as he flails around, in pain, fighting to regain control of his own mind, to make it stop! The cat is completely freaked.

And the waves batter the shore, reaching toward the street lights of the freeway and the crescent moon above.

A bright morning at Skylara and the guys' place. In the garage, Yusei, in his riding gear, stands from crouching beside Jack's runner. Jack stands off to the side, also in riding gear. Skylara stands off to the other side of Yusei, also in riding gear. "That's it. Phoenix Whirlwind's as good as new." Says Yusei.

Crow joins them at a run, red team jacket slung over his shoulders. "There you are, guys! What're you doin'? Today's Team Unicorn's second match, it's starting in like five minutes!" Crow says. "According to the breakdowns, they're up against Team Catastrophe. That's who we're up against next." Says Jack. "Let's go watch the Unicorns battle, so we can check out Catastrophe's strategies and take notes! Whaddayou say?" Crow asks. Skylara smiles. "I'm always up for watching a good duel." Says Skylara.

The skies are bright and sunny as always over the Kaibadome.

Yusei, Skylara, Jack and Crow run up the stairs toward the top of the stadium bleachers. "It's already started! I hope the Unicorns haven't defeated them already, I wanna see what they're all about!" Crow says. They run up into the bright sunlight at the top of the stairs.

The first thing they see is one of Team Unicorn's identical duel runners, every inch mangled, wafting smoke, as it lies on its side in the middle of the track. Beyond it, by several feet, lies Andre's blue helmet, visor shattered, horn snapped off.

"Those are Team Unicorn's runners. What's going on here? What happened?" Asks Jack. "Look! Right down there!" Yusei says. Skylara gasps. "Jean! Andre!" Says Skylara.

Below, they can see Andre and Jean being loaded onto gurneys by green-jacketed tournament staff, each one clenching his teeth, in pain, nearly unconscious.

Breo stands nearby, unhurt, jaw hanging open, bewildered and worried.

"Oh, what an epically epic tragedy! Of epic proportions!" The announcer says, his voice breaking and cracking, with intensity.

Graphics on the stadium monitors show that Team Unicorn's lineup for this match was Andre, then Jean, then Breo, and the first two images have big red slashes through them.

"Team Unicorn's first and second duelists both came out strong. Everyone thought Team Unicorn had the advantage going into today's duel." Says the announcer.

The Sphere shows the faces of the opposing team, the three shady characters, who have been watching from the shadows at the top of the bleachers. Pictured center is a man, in green, with red, cropped hair, sporting a cheek trail and a V on his forehead between his eyebrows for tracking dye. To his left, is a man, who is all sharp purple lapels and locks of hair, under a white blazer, with an equally sharp nose, chin and supercilious eyes. The third member of their team has a unique, forked mark down his cheek, he's black-haired, with a pointy black goatee, black suit and white shirt. None of them look like pleasant individuals.

"But, their opponents have pulled an upset and snatched the victory! Let's hear it for Team Catastrophe!" The announcer says.

Yusei, Skylara, Jack and Crow watch the Sphere, unable to believe their eyes or ears. "This... must be a joke...! I... don't believe it!" Says Crow. Jack doesn't reply, teeth clenched, neither does Yusei, nor does Skylara. "The Unicorns lost...? Really?" Crow asks. Skylara looks away from the Sphere to the track below.

There, standing on the sidelines near the pit booths, are the three nasty men whose faces decorate the Sphere, all in identical brown leather jackets, with steel shoulder plates. And they look even less friendly in reality than in pictures.

"That is them, that is Team Catastrophe. I guess, they live up to their name." Says Skylara, angrily. She frowns, eyes blazing. So their new trial begins, against a team far more fearsome than the last.


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter 12: Knight Takes Pawn_

A futuristic monorail passes overhead somewhere in New Domino, offering its passengers an even better view than the crowds seated on the bleachers below as another turbo-duel rages.

Somewhere out on the track, there's an explosion.

People at the windows murmur. "Check it out..." "My goodness, look at that...!"

An unknown rider, with grey gear and runner, rides out of a cloud of smoke. "All right, I summon the Phantom Beast Wild-Horn!"

Four blazing lines carve themselves into the Directors' ominous Circuit pattern. "Ladies and gentlemen, we've got a full-throttle duel on our hands!" The announcer says, via-sphere.

Back to the duel, with the same rider, in grey, as before, as he catches up to a rider, in teal, with a periwinkle helmet. Grey speaks. "I hope ya had fun, 'cause this duel is over!"

Six more lines spark across the face of the Circuit.

A huge crowd of spectators in bleachers are cheering.

Back to the duel. "And now, Inferno Hammer! Bring the pain down on Windmill Genex!"

The duelist in grey's lifepoints decrease to 0.

The Directors watch the Circuit light up from their ethereal thrones, their faces harshly uplit.

"Hmhmhmhmhmhm! Look at all those duelists! They have no idea what they're doing!" Says Lester.

"Let us hope it stays that way. We need them to remain ignorant! Like rats running on their little wheels. For the wheels on which they run power the Circuit!" Galaxia says.

"And when the Circuit is complete, the future will be ours!" Says Jakob.

Primo is frowning, and doesn't speak up.

It's a beautiful day in the square outside Skylara and the guys' place.

In the garage, Yusei, jacket off, leans over his runner, revving the engine. "Keep it going." Bruno says. He sits nearby, typing on a laptop, rapidly, which shows several moving readouts. "Great, the output is stable now. Let's try to increase the rotation rate of the fragment gear." Says Bruno. Yusei raises the left-side bar and climbs off. "Sounds good." Yusei says. He stands up. As soon as he closes his eyes, he remembers, with a sigh... "Everyone thought Team Unicorn had the advantage going into today's duel." Says the announcer, in voice-over.

Flashback. The duel ended with Andre and Jean of Team Unicorn nearly unconscious and in a lot of pain, being loaded onto gurneys.

"But, their opponents have pulled an upset and snatched the victory!" The announcer says.

"Jean! Andre!" Says Skylara.

Change Flashback. The New Domino City hospital. Breo is sitting on a bench, chin resting on his laced fingers, dejected.

"How are they, Breo?" Skylara asks.

"Huh?" Asks Breo. He stands, as Skylara, Yusei and Jack approach him. "They're gonna be okay." Breo says. "What happened out on the track?" Asks Jack. "I dunno. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. But, how could they both just crash back-to-back like that?!" Breo asks. The red light above the door shuts off, and it opens.

A pair of nurses gently wheel Jean through the door on a gurney, unconscious, head wrapped in bandages.

"Jean! Sorry, guys. But, I gotta go. I'll be in touch." Says Breo. He hurries after the gurney, urgently imploring one of the nurses. "Has he woken up yet?" Breo asks. "Please, Sir. I need you to stand back." "Has he said anything?" Asks Breo. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. Yusei is staring into space, recalling the scene.

Crow walks in through the front door atop the ramp. "Hey, guys. What's for lunch?" Crow asks.

"You can have Ramen, Ramen, or Ramen." Says Bruno. "What did your doctor say? Good news?" Yusei asks.

"Hmm?" Asks Crow. He holds up the cast still on his arm. "Yeah. He said 'I'm healed up and good to go and ready to ride'. See, I don't even…" Crow says. He pats his cast and winces, making a face, however much he might wish it, he can't fake being healed. "Gggghhh!" Says Crow.

"I believed you for about two seconds." Bruno says. "Were you able to see Jean and the others at the hospital?" Asks Yusei.

"Nope. They still can't have any visitors." Crow says.

"I see." Says Yusei.

Out on New Domino's freeways, Akiza rides alone on her runner, in full riding gear. _"I wish I had done more during the Team Unicorn duel. All I was good for was bringing out Cynder and passing the baton to Skylara."_ Akiza thinks to herself.

Flashback. "You take eight hundred points of damage!" Andre says.

"I activate the trap 'Wicked Rebirth'!" Says Akiza.

"What?!" Andre asks.

"Now by paying eight hundred lifepoints, I can revive a synchro monster from my graveyard, so long as its special ability is negated." Says Akiza. Her lifepoints decrease to 0. "Return to the field, Cynder the Black Dragon!" Akiza says. Cynder soars out of a portal in the sky above her, reborn. The steam vents on the front and sides of Akiza's runner pop open, leaving a trail of steam behind her as she glides beneath Cynder toward the relay line. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. _"We're facing Team Catastrophe in our next duel, and they defeated the Unicorns with ease!"_ Akiza thinks to herself. She zooms into a curve, wincing with the effort of staying on target through the maneuver before straightening up again _. "Skylara and the guys have put their faith in me, I've gotta step things up. I have to get better!"_ Akiza thinks to herself. She races ahead even faster into the next curve.

"Another one of your conspiracy theories?" Asks Jack. "Don't you find it strange that two duelists crashed while dueling the same team at two different times? How can you not call foul play on this one, this is clearly a case of sabotage or something." Carly says. Jack and Skylara are sitting at the former's usual cafe table, and she's standing across from him, leaning over the table.

Stephanie the waitress is clearing a nearby table, and stops to grind her teeth. _"Her voice drives me crazy-y-y!"_ Stephanie thinks to herself.

"Huh. I suppose you do have a point. I'll get all worked up about it just as soon as I finish my coffee." Says Jack. He sips from his teacup.

This part of town is only open to the sky through rectangular holes in platforms or streets above, the Facility is in a similar area. The buildings are grungy and run-down, stacked and piled and crowded, more like the Old Satellite without the fresh ocean breezes. Loud rock music can be heard playing in one of the buildings. "Check out these headlines! 'Team Catastrophe Explodes Onto the Scene'!" He throws down on the table a newspaper with a photo of a wrecked Team Unicorn runner lying on the Kaibadome track. This is the member of Team Catastrophe, with the bright magenta hair, metal-studded collar and armbands, who wears brown and green. "'Team Catastrophe Surprises All'!" Two more newspapers, one showing a photo of him, another with a photo of his team leader in front of press conference microphones. "Every media outlet in town is talkin' about us! Papers are callin' us, 'the team to keep an eye on'!" He looks over at his team leader.

The team leader of Team Catastrophe is the man, with the pointy, black goatee, uniquely forked tracking dye mark, and strong Germanic accent. He's sitting at and leaning on the unused bar at the other side of the room. He's looking at a card. "And you didn't vant me to take zhis card from our nice guardian angels." The card in his hand is a masked fighter with hooks for hands and on the tips of each slipper, glowing with sinister power, Hook the Hidden Knight. Beyond it, he sees a scene from the past...

Flashback. "A shadow card?" He lowers the card and looks at Primo, with Galaxia at his shoulder. They're standing out in the streets somewhere around this same part of town. "I don't understand. You're just-giving zhis to us?"

Nearby, the guy with the bright magenta hair, metal-studded collar and armbands, who wears brown and green, and his runner are on the ground, the former bent over coughing.

The third member of their trio approaches him. "What happened to you, Herman?" "That creep over there happened. Him and his woman appeared outta thin air and then my wheels just locked up or somethin'." Herman says. "Who are they?"

"Don't you want to win duels? Don't you want fortune and fame and all that comes with it?" Asks Primo. "That card is your one-way ticket to the big-time, Nicholas." Galaxia says. Nicholas gasps.

Hans looks dubious. Herman gets to his feet. "Ugh, are these two for real?" Asks Herman.

 _"Zhe shadow card..."_ Nicholas thinks to himself. "I guess, I should thank you." Nicholas says, addressing Primo and Galaxia.

"Huh?" Asks Herman. Him and the other guy, Hans, walk over to Nicholas. "Slow down, let's think about this." Herman says. "Shadow cards sound kinda dangerous, don't they?" Asks Hans. "We've been gettin' better, Nicky. We don't need to cheat to get ahead! Besides, I don't trust these two. I mean, look at 'em. He's kinda sketchy an' she's quite familiar lookin' to me, only otherworldly… what in the world!" Herman says. They look back, Primo and Galaxia are gone, vanished.

"Did they just disappear?" Asks Herman. "Maybe they were ghosts or somethin'." Hans says. "Ghosts or not, I am sick of losing." Says Nicholas. The other two look back at him. "Huh?" Hans asks. "I'm sick of scraping by! I'm sick of zhis world telling me no! A ticket to zhe big time? That sounds good to me. Unless you boys vant to spend the rest of your lives living in zhis city's shadow?" Asks Nicholas. "Well, no..." Herman says. "Then ve are agreed!" Says Nicholas. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. Nicholas looks up from the card, out through the dusty windows over the grey, overcrowded buildings. _"Zhis card is everything I could've hoped for! Und much, much more!"_ Nicholas thinks to himself. They hear loud crashing. "Hmm?" Nicholas asks. He turns and Herman rises from the couch.

As their third teammate, Hans, runs in, carrying a metal pipe, giggling and cheering. Hans brings the pipe down with a smash, triumphantly. The music has stopped. "Eheheheheheheh, yes!" Says Hans.

"Hey, we saved up to buy that radio." Herman says.

"The Black Rose is all alone! And she's on her duel runner!" Says Hans.

"Hmhm. Come on, let's go!" Nicholas says.

Akiza zooms around yet another wide curve on the freeway, intent on her riding, oblivious to the danger.

Jack, Skylara and Carly are still sitting at the cafe table.

With Stephanie standing near the opposite one.

When a Team Unicorn runner rides up and parks near Skylara and the guys' front door, across the street. Breo takes off his helmet.

"It's Breo." Says Jack. "Wonder if he's learned anything new?" Carly asks.

Breo looks over his shoulder toward the front door, and nods, firmly, he'll see this through.

"It sure seems like it." Says Skylara. She stands up and walks away.

Jack follows after Skylara, basically at her heels.

Carly hurries after Jack, gawkily. "Hey, wait for me!" Carly says.

"Hey, Carly! You didn't pay the bill!" Says Stephanie.

"Put it on my tab!" Carly says.

"Huh? You don't have a tab!" Says Stephanie.

A small chip is plugged into the side of a laptop, via-USB port. "Huh. So, duel runners have chips that record their operational data?" Crow asks. Bruno's seated at the same small makeshift desk under the ramp he was using earlier when they were working on Yusei's runner, reading the data on his laptop. Skylara, Jack, Carly, Yusei, Crow and Breo are standing around him. Breo is in street clothes, for the first time since they've met him, blue and white sneakers, dark grey pants, a light blue, button-up shirt, and a slate blue, hooded sweatshirt, with white lining. "I couldn't bring myself to believe that Jean and Andre would randomly crash in the same duel. So, I checked the data chip. Here's Jean's runner at the time of his accident." Says Breo. The line graph in green shows a fairly steady increase, until a sudden, steep drop. "No way." Bruno says. "A sharp drop in rotational velocity?" Asks Yusei. "What does that mean, exactly?" Crow asks. "Well, it means that one second his wheels were spinning, and the next second, they weren't." Says Bruno. "A sudden, unexpected wheel lock would explain his loss of control." Jack says. "But, what explains the sudden, unexpected wheel lock? I think Team Catastrophe's behind this!" Says Carly. "So do I! But, how would they have caused it during the duel? We would've seen something!" Breo says. Crow gasps. "What is it, Crow?" Asks Skylara. "I was just remembering, when my runner crashed…" Crow says.

Flashback. Suddenly, Crow finds himself veering, wildly, trying to avoid a crash! He skids nearly horizontal to the road, then flies off balance and is propelled into the air, free of his runner, yelling. "It felt like my wheels just suddenly stopped spinning for no reason!" Says Crow, in voice-over. "Seriously?" Skylara asks, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. Bruno brings up a second line graph that looks just like Jean's. "This is your op data, right at the time of your accident." Says Bruno. "Same instant drop in rotation!" Yusei says. "So this means, those jerks from Team Catastrophe sabotaged my runner and made me wreck?! Those cheats! Revenge will be mine!" Says Crow. "Crow, slow down. We don't have nearly enough evidence to know for sure that the guys from Team Catastrophe have anything to do with this." Skylara says. "If they do, how are they doing it? How could they lock up a runner's wheels remotely? They didn't hack in, that would be in the data." Says Bruno. "It's hard to believe that no one watching the duel saw anything suspicious. I mean, if…" Jack says. "Hey, I took video footage of the duel between Team Unicorn and Team Catastrophe! It's right here in my bag somewhere…" Says Carly. She pulls out a flash drive. "…maybe we should look at it!" Carly says. Everyone's glaring at her, except Jack, who just looks kind of resigned. "Uh, what is it? D-did I do something wrong?" Says Carly. "Carly." Jack says. He swipes the drive from her. "Why didn't you tell us you had this footage?!" Asks Jack. "I did! I toldja just now!" Carly says.

Soon, Bruno's laptop screen shows an aerial of two riders. Andre is riding ahead and has Unicorn Knight on the field, and Nicholas has Hook the Hidden Knight. Across the bottom is a scoreboard, reading Andre, 4000, 1, Nicholas, 4000, 1. Below that are playback controls. "This is Andre dueling Team Catastrophe's Nicholas right before his wreck." Says Bruno. They're riding along, then Andre swerves back and forth, widely, and skids off to the side. "I didn't see anything, he just started swerving." Crow says. "Let's watch it again from another angle." Says Bruno. Now the screen shows a view from above and to the left of Andre's runner's nose. He starts to weave back and forth, and then falls from the runner when it tips over. "Go back a few frames, right before he starts to wobble." Yusei says. The video rewinds. "That's good. Okay, so he's going, he's going..." Says Yusei. Andre's runner starts wobbling, and within moments he's hit the asphalt. "A-a-and, he's off." Crow says. "Still not seeing anything." Says Jack. "Let's look at Jean's crash. Here we go." Bruno says. In the next video, Jean is riding behind the other rider. If he has any monsters, they aren't in frame, his opponent has Hook the Hidden Knight on the field. As they watch, Hook leaps into the air, then Jean starts to swerve left and right. "Same thing, he just starts losing control!" Says Bruno. He hits the pause button. "How are they doing this without being seen?" Crow asks. "What do we know about this monster he's dueling?" Asks Skylara. She points to the other rider's monster. "Was Andre dueling the same monster when he crashed?" Skylara asks. "'Kay, the name of that monster is Hook the Hidden Knight. Lemme look it up." Says Bruno. The laptop screen displays card image and stats. "Level four, sixteen-hundred attack points, zero defense points, and... yep, Andre tried to attack it with Unicorn Knight right before he crashed. Look." Bruno says. On Andre's footage, as soon as Unicorn Knight lunges forward to attack, he starts swerving. Then they switch to the beginning of Jean's clip. "Jean's crash was during his opponent's turn. Herman activated Hook the Hidden Knight's special ability, and then..." Says Bruno. Jean starts swerving. "Bam! Jean's wheels lock up, he loses control." Bruno says. The video pauses. "You think it's this monster?" Asks Bruno. Jack nods. "I've no doubt that, that Hook the Hidden Knight is somehow doing something." Jack says. "You guys need to be careful when you're on your runners. They already got to Crow. They may try to get to someone else on the team." Says Carly. Yusei and Skylara exchange glances with each other. "Oh, no." Yusei says. "One of us isn't here right now!" Says Skylara. "Akiza's in danger!" Skylara, Yusei, Jack and Crow all say.

Akiza is still out riding the freeways, expression intent as she hones her skills. She leans into the next curve, passing under two more runner tracks above.

Three riders cruise up and park on one, as she rides below. Something glimmers on the track above.

Akiza notices it out of the corner of her eye. Then she winces, feeling the friction, right before her back wheel starts swaying and wobbling, wildly, taking the rest of the runner with it. Her speed is decreasing, sharply, and she goes into a sideways skid, and is then catapulted halfway from her seat. She throws a card onto the runner's duel disk, as they both sail through the air. "I summon Rose Tentacles!" Says Akiza. Her monster appears ahead of her and her runner, ready to catch them. Then Akiza passes right through it, in a moment of shocked realization. "Aaahhh!" _"Huh? Why didn't its power activate?!"_ Akiza thinks to herself. Then her runner hits the pavement, violently, bursting into flames, and she hits the ground after it some distance away, rolling a few yards before coming to rest sprawled on the road, moaning, faintly.

On the track above, Herman of Team Catastrophe had summoned Hook the Hidden Knight, and now deactivates the hologram. Hans punches the air, excitedly, direct hit! "Two down, und three to go." Nicholas says. "Losers!" Says Herman. They ride away.

Down on the distant track, a trail of smoke is rising from the crash site.

At the Domino Hospital, the mood is somber. The recovery room is in pale cream colors, and the windows at everyone's back shine white with reflected sunlight, making the whole scene seem too peaceful, too quiet, to be quite real. Akiza lies motionless in bed, the crown of her head covered in bandages the way Jean's was. Her mom kneels beside her head, and her dad stands beside her mom. Jack, Crow and Yusei stand at her feet.

Skylara's outside the door in the hallway, in the middle of a cell phone conversation. "Yes, we are fine. I just spoke with Akiza's parents, she's pretty banged up. However, she will be alright. She is going to be out of commission for the next duel, though. And what about you, Bruno? Were you able to get her runner's data?" Skylara asks.

Bruno is on the other side of the conversation, out at the crash site. He watches over his shoulder, warily, as a PSB crew of officers and techies load the remains of Akiza's runner onto a tow truck, a small holoscreen in his hand. "It's the same as the others. Her wheels definitely locked up all of a sudden." Says Bruno.

Jack, Crow and Yusei have joined Skylara in the hallway, in time to hear her say… "Yes, I figured." Skylara says. "Those punks!" Says Crow. He turns and strides away down the hall.

"Crow! Wait." Skylara says.

"Wait for what? We know what they're doing, let's go call 'em on it!" Says Crow.

Skylara jogs up to stand ahead of him.

Yusei walks up to stand next to Crow on his right side.

Jack walks up to stand behind Crow. "Come now, hang on! I know you are angry. I'm angry, as well. However, we can't act impulsively." Skylara says. "We've gotta settle this, Skylara!" Says Crow. Skylara clenches her fist until it shakes and her eyes have shifted to red. "We shall settle this! During our turbo-duel!" Skylara says, her voice menacing and echoic. Crow gasps. Skylara's red eyes are intense, she means it. "Okay, fine. But I'm going to be the one doing the settling!" Says Crow. He starts unbuckling his sling. Skylara's eyes shift back to their normal emerald green hue. "You're in no condition." Jack says. "Jack's right." Says Yusei. "I'm not just gonna sit back while a coupla lowlifes run around and hurt my friends and try to cheat their way to the top!" Crow says. The sling falls to the floor. Crow grips his bandage-wrapped arm, carefully. "Akiza stood in for me, so now I'm gonna stand up for her! Those thugs've messed with the wrong team!" Says Crow.

The day is bright and sunny above the Kaibadome, and it's time for another duel. The cheerleaders warm up and practice cheers in front of the massive crowd, some of them wearing red and white and carrying signs with the Team 6D's logo. "Go! Go! Let's go! Go! Go!"

"What?! They sabotaged their duel runners?!" Trudge asks. Up in the stands, he and Minako are sitting with Carly and Stephanie. "Well, we don't exactly know how they're doing it! But, we think it's connected to a monster!" Says Carly. The next row down contains the twins' pals from Duel Academy, from the aisle, Dexter, Bob, Patty and Sly. Everyone's in the exact same seats they were at during Team 6Ds' duel with Team Unicorn. Breo is sitting in the seat directly behind Trudge. "It sounds like Team Catastrophe might be using an illegal card." Minako says. "Why didn't you tell me this right away?! If this is true, it's a violation of tournament rules and a crime!" Says Trudge. He stands up. "I'm ordering a deck inspection!" Trudge says. He is about to storm away up the bleacher steps. "Officer, wait!" Says Breo. He stands up. "I know how this'll sound, but can you wait 'til after the duel? Let Skylara and the guys be the ones to bring Catastrophe down. They're aware of the risk, but it's a matter of honor." Breo says. "I understand, but…" Says Trudge. "You could step in as soon as something goes wrong! But, give 'em the chance!" Breo says. "For the record, I never heard this conversation." Says Minako. "But, Minako!" Trudge says. "Sit down, boys. The duel's about to start." Says Minako. Breo and Trudge each raise an eyebrow, the former grateful, the latter utterly confused.

"Hello-o-o-o, Domino City! Are you ready, to see some actio-o-o-o-on?!" The announcer says.

The crowd replies with every bit as much enthusiasm, shouting and cheering and whistling. Many are wearing face paint in stars, hearts, and imitation tracking dye.

"The first World Racing Grand Prix Prelims are in their final laps! Soon, we'll be heading into the main event! Both of today's teams wanna get there, but only one of 'em'll make it! And here they come now! Haha-a-a-a-a!" Says the announcer.

Team Catastrophe are the first to stride out onto the track, their racing costumes are all leather, spikes, metal and chains.

"They came outta nowhere, but they're clearly going somewhere! Ladies and gentlemen, Team Catastrophe!" The announcer says.

Nicholas looks straight ahead, entirely serious, Herman is waving to the crowd, with a genial smile, and Hans is waving and doing a silly walk, giggling.

A few kids in the crowd are even dressed up in support of Team Catastrophe, and look like they're going to a hardcore rock concert, complete with spiky jewelry and a mohawk. "You go, Catastrophe!" "Bring it on hardcore!"

Others in the crowd look more moderate and reasonable, one young man in a brown sweater and glasses calls… "Keep it clean, you guys. We don't wanna see any wipeouts today..."

Another punk-dressed kid cuts him off. "Hey, pipsqueak! Put a sock in it, the wipeouts are the best part!"

"Back off!"

Others of the crowd are calling out their own opinions of Team Catastrophe. "Nobody likes your terrible team!"

Carly and Stephanie look around, dubiously. "Boy, the vibe today is so negative." Says Carly. "Why can't we all just get along?" Stephanie asks.

"Fans, what do you get when you combine two champions, one incredible undefeated streak and one scrappy upstart?! Team Six-D's!" Says the announcer.

At this, the crowd much more unanimously goes completely nuts.

Skylara leads her team out into the open, Jack and Yusei following, all three of them are too wary and serious to much notice the crowd's enthusiasm. Crow follows, waving to the crowd, and Bruno is after him, also frowning toward the opposite booth, cautiously.

"Go, Ja-a-a-a-a-a-a-ack!" Both Carly and Stephanie says.

Jack raises a single fist in response as he walks, an understated nod to his fans.

"You're the best, Jack!" Says Minako, blushing. Trudge rests his head on his hand, resigned and dejected. "What'm I, chopped liver?" Trudge asks, muttering to himself.

Leo and Luna wave to the crowd, laughingly, as they follow their team into the arena. Luna is holding Chibi Chibi's hand, as she waves to the crowd, innocently.

The Duel Academy row make themselves heard in support of their friends. Except Sly, who sits back in his seat, stubbornly. "Leo! Luna! Yusei!" Says Dexter.

The eight members of Team 6D's, present at the duel, wave to the crowd, now standing on the track.

"Huh. How sad, they're short one teammate today." Herman says.

"Hahah!" Says Crow. He stops waving to the crowd, realizing the other team is staring at him. Crow returns the glare, pointedly.

"Huh? What is he doing here?! Didn't we take 'im down already?" Herman asks, addressing Nicholas. "It looks like, he got back up! Don't vorry about it!" Says Nicholas.

Crow is now walking toward them.

"Ssh, he's coming over here!" Hans says.

Crow walks right up to Herman and faces him, calmly, despite being about half a foot shorter. "Whaddaya want, half-pint? Did they send ya here to negotiate a surrender?" Asks Herman. Crow puts both hands on his hips, casually, as if they were just shooting the breeze. "Nah. I just wanted to come and say hi! Oh right, and I also wanted to tell you, I'm so onto you guys and your little gambit." Crow says. Herman nearly freezes. "Our little what?" Asks Herman. His teammates are listening closely. "Nah, it's okay. Play dumb, it fits the part. Anyway, the duel's gonna start soon." Crow says. The look on his face is the kind of confidently challenging readily associated with large figures of lifepoint loss, and he isn't the only one looking at them.

Behind him, some distance away, Skylara, Yusei, Jack and Bruno are glaring in kind. Team Catastrophe hurt their friends, and they are not going to like what happens next.

"Hope you've enjoyed your winning streak, 'cause it's about to end." Says Crow. "Heh! You are really wreckin' my confidence! Oh, hey, hey, speakin' of wrecks, how's that shoulder a' yours treatin' ya?" Herman asks, sarcastically. "It's great, thanks for askin'." Says Crow. He turns away, with a jaunty wave. "See you on the track, gentlemen!" Crow says.

"Hey, half-pint?!" Asks Herman.

Crow turns to glare over his shoulder at him. "What do ya want?" Crow asks.

"Don't be givin' threats that your leader should be givin', 'cause all three of us know who the head of your team is and it is certainly not you." Says Herman.

"Yeah, I know who are leader is, too. And I know it's not me, either. Actually, I believe ours is much more sophisticated than yours, or any of you for that matter." Crow says.

"Why you little punk?!" Asks Herman. He grabs Crow by his riding gear and lifts him off of his feet.

Someone manages to get Crow out of his hold and now stands between the two. "Skylara." Crow says. "Well, if it isn't the leader of Team Six-D's. Good, now I don't have to send your lackey to deliver my message to you." Says Herman. "Lackey?! Why you!" Crow says, he growls under his breath. "What do you want?!" Asks Skylara. "To stop playing your games on us." Herman says. "Hm? What ever are you talking about?" Asks Skylara. "Don't play innocent with me, we ran into you sometime ago. What'd you do? Change the black of your hair, get contacts to change your eye color and somehow manage to cover up your scars?" Herman asks. "Whoa, whoa, hold on a minute. Skylara's looked like this her whole life. Besides the scars, those weren't always there." Says Crow. Skylara then steps on his foot, with the heel of the boot, too. Crow's face is hysterical, as he jumps up and down, holding at his foot. "Crow's right, I have never colored my hair different and I have never worn contacts to change my eye color. So, whoever you saw that day, that wasn't me. By the way, don't ever accuse me of anything unless you have actual proof. Otherwise, I shall beat all three of you senseless!" Skylara says. She then walks away, without another glance back, and Crow follows after her.

"Did you guys hear what he said? Do you think Team Six-D's knows about the shadow card?" Asks Hans, nervously. "No! Zhey sense zhat some-sing is up, but they don't know vhat it is. They're just trying to shake the grass a little. Vonce zhey do realize vhat is actually going on, it vill be too late." Nicholas says, sharply.

"Here we go, kicking things off for Team Six-D's is Crow! He'll be going up against Team Catastrophe's Herman!" Says the announcer.

Herman and Crow swap glares across the starting line. The countdown clock is in the air. Both runner screens show 'Speed World Two'. "Engaging 'Speed World Two'." The computer says. Both runners' duel disks activate. A ring of light bursts out from the duelists into the stadium, bringing down the lights.

The other two members of Team Catastrophe watch from their pit booth. Nicholas is cracking his knuckles, a most unpleasant smug look on his face. "Herman is gonna clip that Crow's wings." Says Hans.

Herman speaks over his shoulder to Crow. "Huh. A better person than me would feel kinda bad, laying into an injured duelist. Unfortunately for you, I'm not a better person than me! I'm about to take you down! Huhuhuh!" Herman says.

Crow doesn't respond, only looks straight ahead.

Over his shoulder, the rest of the team is watching from their pit booth. Yusei and Bruno are in front of their two monitors, Jack to Yusei's left, Skylara to Jack's right and the twins to Bruno's right. "Should Crow really be doing this? His shoulder hasn't really healed yet." Says Luna. "When Crow makes up his mind, you can't stop him." Jack says. "Don't worry, Luna! He'll be fine!" Says Leo. "Uhhh." Luna says.

People in the crowd are calling out cheers, anxiously awaiting the start of the match.

At the top of the bleachers, Sherry is leaning against the shadowy doorway. _"If this series of recent crashes is anything more than a coincidence, there's no doubt in my mind, Yliaster is behind it!"_ Sherry thinks to herself.

High above the stadium crowd, Primo and Galaxia are standing on the edge of the Kaibadome's sun roof, looking down into the stadium.

"Talk about being in the nosebleed section." Says Lester.

Galaxia and Primo turn, startled to find they aren't alone. "Eheheheheheheheheh! I had a feeling you two were up to something. So, what's the sinister plot this time?" Lester asks. "Watch and see." Says Galaxia. "You know Jakob's gonna lose it when he finds out you went behind his back again, right?" Lester asks. "Huh! When I've managed to complete the Circuit and summon the Divine Temple, I will be the favorite! So, it won't matter what Jakob thinks!" Says Primo. "For your sake, I hope you're right! Eheheheheheheheheh!" Lester says.

The countdown clock starts. "The countdown has begun!" Says the computer.

Crow glances over at Herman, then straight ahead. _"This is for you, Akiza. This is for all of us!"_ Crow thinks to himself.

Herman, steel-toed boot on the ground ready to kick off, watches him out of the corner of his eye, with an unfriendly smirk.

"Ready... set... duel." The computer says.

Herman's wheels spark on the ground, then propel him forward.

Crow in hot pursuit. Crow winces, as he starts falling behind, twisting his right grip to accelerate is not easy with his shoulder.

"Crow musta skipped breakfast today, he's off to a slow start!" Says the announcer.

"Come on!" Both Leo and Luna says.

Crow grits his teeth, in pain. _"Well, no pain, no gain, I suppose!"_ Crow thinks to himself. He twists the grip hard, and his wheels spark on the track. Crow starts gaining on Herman again.

"Crow's sails have caught some wind! He's catching up to Herman!" Says the announcer.

Crow's front bumper is reaching Herman's rear bumper. Herman smirks even more nastily. _"Someone's lookin' a little shaky!"_ Herman thinks to himself.

The two runners are coasting around the first curve.

Crow is riding on the inside and the shallower curve puts him slightly ahead for a moment.

"And they're neck-and-neck as they enter the first curve!" The announcer says.

The sides of the runners graze together.

Crow flinches.

Herman laughs, and rams him harder.

Crow starts falling behind again.

"Oohh, looks like Herman wants to play rough!" Says the announcer.

Herman reaches over and elbows Crow in the arm.

Crow cries out, clutching his upper right arm, and falls further behind, weaving a bit.

"Crow loses control, he falls behind! Herman takes the first curve!" The announcer says.

The young Team Catastrophe fans with the punk rocker costumes are loving this. "That was righteous!" "Yeah, rip it up!"

"That was not cool!" Says Leo.

"Sweet! Now Herman gets to go first!" Hans says.

Herman and Crow ride out of the first curve.

Crow now well behind.

"A-a-and it's time for the dueling to begin!" Says the announcer.

Herman draws his opening hand.

Crow also draws his opening hand. Crow feeds them into the slot that holds his dueling hand built into his left arm riding glove. "Show me what you got!" Crow says.

"I intend to! I summon Hook the Hidden Knight, in attack mode!" Says Herman. Hook the Hidden Knight has 1600 attack points, 0 defense points and is a level 4 monster.

Yusei, Jack, Skylara and Bruno gasp slightly, there it is!

"Next, I'll end my turn with a face down." Herman says.

 _"He didn't waste any time."_ Crow thinks to himself.

Carly points, dramatically. "That's it! That's the monster that made the other duelists crash!" Says Carly. Trudge and Minako gasp. Breo grits his teeth, he has good reason to bear that card ill will.

Elsewhere in the stands, Sherry is watching the action closely.

 _"You may've managed to take my friends down, but you're not gettin' me. Not this time!"_ Crow thinks to himself. "All right, it's…" Crow says. He goes to draw, and cringes horribly at the movement of his right shoulder. When he pulls his card and holds it out, his arm painfully approximates the motion. "It's my turn! First up, I-I summon Blackwing-Sirocco the Dawn in attacke mode!" Says Crow, his voice is tense, with pain, as he makes his play.

Blackwing-Sirocco the Dawn is a level-five winged-beast-type monster, with two thousand attack points and nine hundred defense points.

"Sirocco the Dawn has way more attack points than that stupid Hook the Hidden Knight!" Leo says.

"Sirocco is a high-level monster. But, when you're the only one with monsters on his field, I can directly summon it without having to make any sacrifices!" Says Crow. _"Here we go! Time to find out what's behind the curtain!"_ Crow thinks to himself. "Sirocco the Dawn is soaring in to attack Hook the Hidden Knight! Go, Darkwinged Slash!" Crow says. Sirocco lunges forward, claws outstretched.

"Come on, Crow! What are you doing?!" Asks Skylara.

Sirocco is about to attack Hook the Hidden Knight.

"This is the same situation Andre was in!" Breo says.

"Is everyone watching closely?" Asks Jack. Skylara and Yusei nod. "Yep." Yusei says. Leo and Luna then nod. "Yeah!" Says both Leo and Luna.

Trudge and Minako are also intent on what happens next.

Sirocco reaches for Hook, taloned claws first. "You're gonna need to do a lot better than that! I activate Hook the Hidden Knight's special ability! I activate Shadow Hook!" Herman says. Sirocco is frozen in midair, poised to strike Hook. "When Hook the Hidden Knight becomes the target of an attack while in attack mode, both it and the attacking monster are forced into defense mode." Says Herman. Hook curls his knees up to his chest and radiates pink, crackly energy.

Sirocco is forced back into defense mode, as is Hook himself. Sirocco folds its wings and crouches in midair above Crow.

"Ohh, Herman just shut Crow's attack down!" The announcer says.

"The best part of this special ability, is that when Hook the Hidden Knight switches into defense mode, you get knocked with eight hundred points of damage! Here it comes!" Says Herman.

A purple star appears on Hook's nonexistent nose, and becomes a filmy white sheet of light, which blasts out from it, throwing both duelists into silhouette, blinding all onlookers with bright light, including Crow, who has his eyes shut tight. "Uughh!" _"I can't see a thing!"_ Crow thinks to himself. His lifepoints decrease to 3200, and he's rocking slightly side-to-side.

"Ooh! It looks like Crow is wavering out there! He's losing control! Is this Team Unicorn all over again?!" The announcer asks.

Through the track beside Crow's wavering back wheel, appears a shadowy black hook, ready to snag on the rim of his back wheel! Crow sees it out of the corner of his eye and gasps, the split second seems frozen in time, the hook reaching for his wheel. With a grunt of pain for his shoulder, Crow abruptly weaves to the side and the hook grabs for his wheel and misses, vanishing as though it never were.

Skylara gasps, as do Yusei, Jack, Bruno and the twins.

So do Trudge, Minako, Carly and Breo.

Crow weaves back the other way and rights his balance again, before gaining on Herman once more.

"He's holding onto his momentum! He's, he's regained his balance!" Says the announcer.

The crowd cheers.

 _"Hmph! Lucky break! I'll get that bird-brain next time!"_ Herman thinks to himself.

"Did you just see what I saw?!" Trudge asks. "Sure did! Something appeared next to his back wheel!" Says Minako. Carly is shaking her camera, tears streaming down her cheeks. Stephanie is looking around. "Ugh! Why does my lens cover always get stuck at the worst times?!" Carly asks.

 _"What was that just now?! It looked like...!"_ Crow thinks to himself. He spots the hook at the end of Hidden Knight's arm. _"That's it...!"_ Crow thinks to himself.

"It is Hidden Knight's hook! I'm positive I saw it!" Says Skylara. "It couldn't be!" Jack says. "Wait, how could its hook be coming up out of the ground like that?" Asks Bruno. "I don't know. However, I know what I saw." Skylara says. "That's really freaky!" Says Luna. "So, it's not just a hologram? I-it's like really real, for real?" Leo asks.

"Mph! How'd he miss?!" Asks Hans. "Zhat punk just lucked out, is all!" Nicholas says.

"That, was a close one! Haha, hahahaha!" Says Lester.

"Who are these guys, that they have a power like that?" Skylara asks.

Tableau, as the three riders of Team Catastrophe loom over her, Hook the Hidden Knight at their backs.


	13. Chapter 13

_Chapter 13: Rook Takes Knight_

Team Catastrophe's Herman, flanked by Hook the Hidden Knight, zooms ahead of Crow and his Sirocco the Dawn on the Kaibadome track.

 _"So, Hook the Hidden Knight's been making everyone wipe out. It somehow sinks its hooks into the back wheel and it's all over!"_ Crow thinks to himself. He flinches and grips his right shoulder. _"And with my arm feeling like it does, I've gotta do my part quick and then find a way to duck out."_ Crow thinks to himself. "I place four cards face down an' end my turn!" Crow says.

Skylara, Jack, Yusei, Bruno and the twins watch Crow and Herman race by from the pit booth. "Is it just me, or is Crow rushing all his moves?" Asks Jack. "His shoulder must be getting the best of him." Skylara says.

"Heheh, that's all Crow's got?" Asks Hans. "He can lay all ze traps he wants! But, as long as we have Hook zhe Hidden Knight, zhis duel is ours!" Nicholas says.

 _"I am not missing this time! Crow is going down!"_ Herman thinks to himself. "I'm switching Hook the Hidden Knight into attack mode! And next, I'm summoning Dark the Hidden Knight!" Says Herman. Dark the Hidden Knight has 800 attack points, 0 defense points, is a level 3 monster and is a dark type monster. "Hope you're ready to shed a few more lifepoints, Crow! Because Dark the Hidden Knight can attack you directly!" Herman says.

In a rain of purple mist, Crow's lifepoints are decreased to 2400. Crow doesn't move.

"Is he okay?!" Asks Leo.

"Now Hidden Knight'll be attacking your little birdie and then you! Go, Evil Hook!" Herman says. Hook the Hidden Knight launches one of its hook-hands on an extending chain, shattering through Sirocco, and heading straight for Crow!

"This is it!" Says Jack.

Crow faces down the attack, resolute.

"Get ready, Crow! Hook the Hidden Knight is gonna clip your wings! Go, Evil Hook!" Herman says. Hook the Hidden Knight launches one of its hook-hands on an extending chain, shattering through Sirocco, and heading straight for Crow!

As it arcs past Crow, ready to wrap around, another hook, this one made of shadows, again emerges from the surface of the track beside Crow's rear wheel. With a grunt of effort, Crow swerves to the side again, causing the hook to miss. The swerve swings wide, and Crow's left-side wing scrapes against the track, as he swerves back the other way, then his right wing scrapes, before he manages to regain his balance and zoom after Herman again.

"He dodged it again?!" Asks Nicholas. "That was more than luck! It had to be! Does he know about the hook?" Hans asks.

"Nice work!" Says Yusei.

Crow winces and grips his shoulder, then steadily lowers his hand.

Herman looks over his shoulder. _"Lucky runt!"_ Herman thinks to himself, annoyed.

"We may've had some wibble-wobble from Crow, but luckily he managed to stay upright!" The announcer says.

"I'm placin' a card face down and ending my turn." Says Herman.

The riders pass the booths again. "Did you guys see that?" Bruno asks. "Yes. Only, I'm not quite sure what I saw." Says Skylara.

Flashback. A shadowy hook emerges from the ground and reaches for Crow's rear wheel. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. _"How was that hook coming out of the ground?"_ Crow thinks to himself. "Nngh!" Crow says. He grips his shoulder again.

Crow's team, watching on the monitor, sees the gesture. "He can't keep dueling with his shoulder like that! Get 'im to make a pit stop, Leo." Says Jack. "I'm on it!" Leo says. He holds out the pit stop sign.

"Crow's getting the pit stop pennant, must be something wrong with his runner." Says the announcer.

Crow looks over toward the booths.

"Hey, Crow! Get off the track! You're in no condition to duel!" Jack says.

"No way!" Says Crow. He winces and grips his shoulder. "Gghngh, I'm not pulling off until I destroy this monster!" Crow says. He zooms past the booths.

"You dolt!" Says Jack, shouting after him.

"Dissension among the ranks! Crow has ignored his team's pit stop pennant! He's going for another round!" The announcer says.

"What can we do?" Asks Luna. "At this point, we do nothing. We just have to trust our friend." Skylara says. "Ugh, that fool! His stubbornness is gonna cost us!" Says Jack. Skylara places one of her hands on his shoulder. "Calm down, Jack." Skylara says.

"It's my turn. I draw!" Says Crow. He draws, flinching all the way from the exertion of his shoulder. "First, I activate… the 'Blackback' trap! This trap lets me directly summon a Blackwing monster with less than two thousand attack points from my graveyard! Sirocco the Dawn returns to the field!" Crow says. Blackwing-Sirocco the Dawn has 2000 attack points and is a level 5 monster. "And he won't be alone for long! 'Cause when a Blackwing monster is on my field… I can summon Gale the Whirlwind directly from my hand!" Says Crow. Blackwing-Gale the Whirlwind has 1300 attack points and is a level 3 monster. "Next, I activate Gale the Whirlwind's special ability. Once a turn, Gale can cut your monster's attack and defense points in half!" Crow says.

This makes Hook the Hidden Knight's new total 800 attack points.

"And now, with Hook the Hidden Knight's attack points reduced, Gale the Whirlwind is swooping in for a Blackscratch attack!" Says Crow. Gale launches a sharp crescent at Hook.

"But, won't attacking Hook the Hidden Knight trigger that spooky hook thing again?" Leo asks.

"You're askin' for it! You don't learn from your mistakes, do ya? Just like before, when Hook the Hidden Knight is in attack mode, and becomes the target of an attack, it switches itself, and forces the attacking monster, into defense mode! And also just like before, you get a jaw-jarring eight hundred points of damage!" Says Herman.

Crow clenches his teeth and withstands the effect, his lifepoints decreasing to 1600. Crow gasps, noticing the black hook peeking out of the surface of the track again. It reaches for Crow's back wheel, and he leaps his runner over it, landing harshly on his front wheel and swerving a bit. Not as much, though, as when he dodged before.

Crow and Herman round another curve.

"No fair, he dodged the hook again!" Hans says.

 _"How is he doing this?"_ Herman thinks to himself.

"Why would Crow attack? Didn't he know it would switch modes like that?" Asks Leo. "Of course he knew that it would switch, Leo. He was counting on it." Bruno says. "Huh?" Asks both Leo and Luna. "Hook the Hidden Knight can't be defeated while it is in attack mode. However, now that Crow's switched it, it is a different story." Skylara says. "So, Crow took a hit to make that monster vulnerable to attack?" Asks Luna. "Yup." Yusei says. "Huh." Says both Leo and Luna.

"Now, Sirocco the Dawn, attack Hook the Hidden Knight! Darkwinged Slash!" Crow says.

Sirocco soars toward Herman and his monsters. "Nice try, Crow! But, I activate Dark the Hidden Knight's special ability! Now by getting rid of my Dark Knight, my Hidden Knight switches back to attack mode, and survives your attack!" Says Herman. Hook the Hidden Knight switches back to attack mode, with 800 attack points.

"Uh, hope this was part of Crow's plan!" Leo says.

"Now, I activate Hook the Hidden Knight's special ability!" Says Herman. Hook switches into defense mode and radiates a barrier of pink light.

Sirocco returns to Crow's field, also switched into defense mode. _"Here it comes!"_ Crow thinks to himself. The black hook reaches for his wheel.

"Heheheh..." Herman laughs.

"Look out, Crow!" Skylara says.

With an effort of pain, Crow rises into the air at the last second, his runner is airborne, gliding above the track, wings extended. The shadow of Hook beneath it is clearly visible.

The crowd gasps, amazed and startled at the disembodied shadow on the track.

So does Sherry.

So does Skylara, Yusei and Jack. "D'you see that?!" Asks Jack.

Crow looks back over his shoulder. Behind the hook has emerged an arm, and beyond it a shadowy face, with a pair of glowing red eyes. The shadowy figure of Hook the Hidden Knight rises all the way out of the track in its grab for Crow's flying runner.

"That monster's physical form has been hiding in the shadow this whole time!" Bruno says. Yusei, Skylara and Jack are resolute, the twins startled.

Crow lands on his front wheel, with some swerving and sparking, patting his shoulder with a smirk, that hurt, but it was worth it. "Heh. I am so onto you and your little trick, Herman!" Says Crow.

"Maybe, but you're still takin' eight hundred points of damage! And your attack still failed to connect." Herman says.

Crow's lifepoints reduce to 800.

"Oh, no." Says Luna.

"I'm not done! I send Blackwing-Etesian of Two Swords from my hand to my graveyard to activate its special ability! See, when a Blackwing fails to destroy a monster in battle, this ability makes up for it by dishing out damage equal to my Sirocco's attack points!" Crow says.

"Hwuuh!" Says Herman. His lifepoints get blasted down to 2000. Herman just barely stays in control, as he glides into the next curve, back wheel skidding, wildly.

"Now, that's what I call calculated offense! Crow took sixteen-hundred points of damage, in order to slam his opponent with a whopping two thousand points of hurt!" The announcer says.

The crowd goes wild. There are three separate signs that read 6Ds, and a banner higher up that reads 6Ds! 6Ds! 6Ds!.

"All right, Crow!" Says Leo.

"What do we do now?!" Hans asks. "Keep your cool! So Herman took some damage, so vaht? Crow's only got eight hundred lifepoints left, he von't survive vaht's coming next." Says Nicholas.

"I now activate my trap, 'Urgent Tuning'! With the power of 'Urgent Tuning', I can synchro-summon one synchro monster during the battle phase!" Crow says.

"I don't think so! Not with my 'Shadow Concealing Darkness' trap in play! With this, monsters in defense mode cannot be destroyed in battle!" Says Herman.

"Guess I'll just have to tune Gale the Whirlwind with Sirocco the Dawn then!" Crow says. Gale dissolves into three stars and forms three aligning green rings, Sirocco's golden outlines sail through the green rings, revealing five aligning stars. "I hope you're ready for some shock an' awe, Herman! 'Cause I'm synchro-summoning..." Says Crow. The aligning green rings create a path for a blinding column of green light blasting parallel to his path. In the darkness appears a shadowed silhouette, with angry red feathers and a blazing red eye. It roars, red beams of light bursting from its eyes, and appears in a storm of falling black feathers. Each blade of its mighty wings is pure white, and it's greyed-out in defense mode. "Black-Winged Dragon!" Crow says. Black-Winged Dragon has 2800 attack points, 1600 defense points and is a level 8 monster. Black-Winged Dragon soars beside Crow, ready to turn the tide of battle.

"Sweet! Crow was able to bust out Black-Winged Dragon!" Says Leo. "But, why is it in defense mode?" Luna asks. "Huh?" Asks Leo. They look out at the track, nervously.

The proud Black-Winged Dragon, wings spread to the sky, mane billowing, has only 1600 defense points.

"Huh! You know you can't win, so you're beefing up your defense!" Herman says.

"What kinda duelist d'you think I am?! I activate, the 'Defenders Intersect' trap card! During the battle phase, this trap can negate the special ability of one monster in defense mode on each of our fields, and force both monsters into attack mode!" Says Crow, insulted.

"Perfect! Now, Herman can't use Hook the Hidden Knight's special ability!" Yusei says. "And with his dragon now in attack mode, Crow can strike!" Says Bruno.

Hook switches back into attack mode again.

So does Black-Winged Dragon, now with 2800 attack points.

"Twenty-eight-hundred attack points?!" Herman asks.

"Crow's got that jerk right where he wants 'im! This attack'll finish 'im off!" Says Jack.

Black-Winged Dragon at Crow's back, such that his dark grey helmet and shoulder pads almost seem to become part of its belly scales. "Here we go. This takedown isn't just for me." Crow says.

Flashback. Down on the track below, Andre and Jean are being loaded onto gurneys by green-jacketed tournament staff following their run-in with Team Catastrophe, each one clenching his teeth, in pain, nearly unconscious. "This is for Jean, and Andre..." Says Crow, in voice-over

Change Flashback. Akiza lies motionless in bed, the crown of her head covered in bandages. Her mom kneels beside her head, and her dad stands beside her mom. Jack, Crow and Yusei stand at her feet. "...And Akiza." Crow says, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. Black-Winged Dragon lifts its head and roars, and its wings begin to glow an ominous, angry red.

"That dragon of his is looking pretty unhappy!" Says Trudge. "Aw, man!" Breo says.

"Black-Winged Dragon's gonna demolish your Hook the Hidden Knight! Go, Black-Winged Burst!" Says Crow. His dragon launches a blast of red and black fire.

"Herman!" Hans says.

"I activate the trap… uuugghhh...!" Says Herman. He activated the card, but the name is drowned out as the blast overcomes him. Hook the Hidden Knight experiences several small explosions, then a much bigger one. Herman is propelled by the explosion toward the outside of the track, sparking, as he goes into an uncontrolled spin. "Whoaulgh…! Whal-uagh-whoa...!" Herman finally rights himself and keeps riding, his lifepoints sink straight to zero. The vent above his runner screen is ejecting steam.

"It's over! Crow has reached into the jaws of defeat and seized a victory-y-y-y-y-y-y! The duel now jumps to the end phase!" The announcer says.

The crowd goes wild.

"Heheh." Luna laughs. "Aww, yeah!" Says Leo.

Herman still has his activated trap. "I'm not lettin' it end like this! I activate the 'Revival Knight' trap card! By using this card during the end phase, I can now re-summon my Hook the Hidden Knight to the field in defense mode." Herman says. Hook re-emerges, its stare icy.

Crow looks over his shoulder toward it, warily.

"Heheheheh. You ain't never gonna destroy this monster! Now, take this! Take the power of a shadow card!" Says Herman.

"What in the world?!" Skylara asks. "Shadow card?!" Asks Jack.

Sherry, Minako and Trudge, Carly and Stephanie, and Bruno, Yusei and the twins all gasp.

Hook the Hidden Knight's shadow lengthens, then rises from the track, looming beside Crow and his runner. "Ah!"

"Look out!" Yusei says.

With a wince for his shoulder, Crow activates another card. "Go, 'Gravity Collapse'! Now, by sending one synchro monster on my field to the graveyard, this card gives me all the power I need to give the hook to your Hook the Hidden Knight!" Says Crow.

"Ohh, no!" Herman says.

"Does that mean…?!" Asks Bruno. "I think it does!" Skylara says.

 _"I've gotta destroy this monster, no matter what."_ Crow thinks to himself. His hand shakes, holding Black-Winged Dragon. _"Even if it means sacrificing Black-Winged Dragon!"_ Crow thinks to himself. With one last look at it, he slaps it into his graveyard slot. 'Gravity Collapse' sends out zapping waves of energy, and they rain down on Black-Winged Dragon, as it cries out, in agony, sinking into the track, felled by lightning, cracking open the pavement.

Shards of the asphalt track rise up from the earth around the shadowy specter of Hook, then fall earthward again, shattering the shadow, shredding it all the way up to Herman's monster's feet. Hook begins to show cracks in its armor, then explodes. "Uwuaagh!"

"That's how ya do it!" Says Yusei. "Now these cheaters don't stand a chance!" Jack says.

"Our precious Hook the Hidden Knight...!" Says Hans. "Zhis isn't over!" Nicholas says.

Crow zooms around the track.

 _"That was incredible! Crow perfectly anticipated that his opponent was gonna resurrect Hook the Hidden Knight! I had no idea he was such a strategist."_ Trudge thinks to himself.

Crow gasps, in pain, a hand going to his shoulder again. _"That's it for me."_ Crow thinks to himself. He approaches the pit stop turnoff on the track and takes it.

"With eight hundred lifepoints remaining, Crow makes a pit stop. Could something have happened to his runner?" Asks the announcer.

Crow brakes, removing his helmet.

Yusei, Skylara and Jack are at his side right away. Crow makes a face before showing Yusei, Skylara and Jack a shaky grin. "Toldja I was up for it." Crow says. "Well done, Crow." Says Skylara. Crow hands Jack the relay armband over his shoulder. "Leave the rest to me." Jack says. He runs over to his duel runner, dons his helmet, lowers his visor, and takes off fast enough to ignite sparks from his wheels, as he exits the pit stop lane.

"A-a-and, Jack Atlas is wheeling in for Team Six-D's! Now, according to the tournament rules, if you pass the baton to the next rider when you have lifepoints remaining, those lifepoints are null, gone, zero, zip, nada! So, Jack will be starting with four thousand lifepoints." Says the announcer.

"Ah! Finally!" Stephanie says. "Watching Jack duel is like watching true poetry in motion." Says Carly. "He is so dreamy!" Minako says. Trudge, unnoticed, facepalms.

Lester, Primo and Galaxia are still observing the match from the edge of the Kaibadome's open roof. "Aww, so much for your big plan. I wonder what Jakob is gonna say? Heheheheheheheheh..." Asks Lester. Primo doesn't respond, he knows that there's more still to see.

Herman glides into the pit booth lane and brakes next to Nicholas and his waiting runner. "I guess I messed up, huh?" Herman asks. Nicholas responds with a snarl, and snatches the relay armband. "Rrrgh. Gimme zhat armband!" Says Nicholas. His runner stand, a trio of spikes that leave small indentations in the road, retracts, and he accelerates with a twist of his right hand grip, peeling out onto the track.

"Team Catastrophe is passing the baton to their second rider!" The announcer says.

 _"Hidden Knight may be out-of-commission, but I've got anozher ace up my sleeve."_ Nicholas thinks to himself.

Primo is still watching, closely.

Nicholas catches up to within shouting distance of Jack. "Vhot 'ave you got, Jack Atlas?" Asks Nicholas.

"More than you! After all, I'm not relying on shadow cards! I intend to give you a demonstration on how a real duelist wins!" Jack says.

"I can't vhait." Says Nicholas, sarcastically. He draws. "I place one card face down, und end my turn." Nicholas says.

The riders zoom past the booths.

"One face down card?" Asks Bruno. "Hopefully, Jack doesn't walk right into this one." Crow says. Skylara is watching, closely.

"D'you honestly believe that you can defeat Jack Atlas with one face down card? It's my turn now! First, I'm sending my level-two Dread Dragon from my hand to my graveyard in order to summon Power Giant!" A huge hand appears first, soon becoming a warrior made of colorful crystalline armor.

Power Giant is a level-six earth-attribute rock-type monster, with twenty-two-hundred attack points, and zero defense points.

"The stipulation of this special-summoning is that I must now lower Power Giant's level by two. But, that's no matter…" Says Jack. He looks over his shoulder. "…it still packs plenty of punch! Go, Power Giant! Attack 'im directly!" Jack says.

"I activate my trap card, it's Doom Ray. Vhen your monster attacks me directly, both of us take eight hundred points of damage for every single card I have in my hand." Says Nicholas. An ominous, pulsing bomb appears on the field, its fuse already lit.

"He's got five cards in his hand, so we're talking, like..." Leo says. He counts on his fingers. "Okay, carry the zero, and uh…" Says Leo. "It's four thousand!" Luna says. "Why do you always do that, Luna?! I was gonna get there, I was like seconds away!" Says Leo.

"You're gonna end this just like that?" Jack asks, surprised.

"Zhat is right, friend. Und if you zhought our last trick was nasty, vait until you see zhis one!" Says Nicholas.

"Just what're you talking about?!" Jack asks.

"Hook zhe Hidden Knight isn't zhe only shadow card out zhere, you know. Hmhmhm." Says Nicholas.

"Huh?!" Jack asks.

"Whoa, another shadow card?!" Asks Bruno. "How many of these things do they have?!" Yusei asks. "What's this one gonna do?!" Asks both Leo and Luna.

Then the bomb starts to shine with bright light.

And all five wince and close their eyes.

It shines bright, then explodes, filling the air around the duelists with smoke.

Jack is riding through a world of blinding light, eyes squeezed shut, riding out the blast.

Nicholas endures the blast, yelling out. "Aaaghh- aaaghhhh...!" Underneath it, though, Nicholas smirks, opening one eye to watch Jack.

Jack looks ahead, as a dark portal appears in the uniform, shining sky above him, and reaches for him, with tentacles made of shadowy streams and ghostly skulls. The streams sweep through the air around him and his runner, drawing them in. "Uggghhh...!" Jack is staring straight ahead, eyes wide open, yelling, in fear, almost as though he no longer has the ability to turn away. "Aaaaaaaaaaahhhh!"

"What is that?!" Crow asks. "Hang on!" Says Skylara, Yusei and Bruno.

The streams of skulls swoop down across Jack and his runner.

And his isn't the only one. "Vhot in the vorld?! No way! Not me! Him, just him!" Nicholas says.

"Primo and I have no further use for you, human!" Says Galaxia, coldly.

Streams of skulls are splitting along the nose of Jack's runner and flying past him, head bowed, he rides through them, withstanding the storm.

A few of the streams splitting along Jack's left side are hitting Nicholas right in the face.

"Oh, man!" Crow says.

"I'm activating Power Giant's special ability! When this monster goes into battle, it can negate all countereffect damage!" Says Jack. Power Giant lifts its chest, fists glowing, and slams them together, creating a bubble of turquoise light that expands from that collision, encompassing him and his runner. Power Giant reaches ahead, expanding the bubble, pushing the shadows back, as Jack rides forward.

Nicholas, just outside the bubble, is screaming, in agony, his lifepoints sink straight from 4000 to 0. "Aaaaaaaggghhhhh!"

Jack looks back, through the crackling air.

Then everything explodes, kicking up a huge cloud of smoke. This is a really big explosion, blossoming out in a perfect dome on the Kaibadome track, which is definitely going to need some fresh paving after this duel. A runner shoots out of the side of it at high velocity and smashes into the trackbowl with a bang, no one would've survived that crash.

Skylara, Yusei and Crow watch all this, eyes wide. "What in the world?!" Yusei asks. "Was that Jack's?!" Asks Crow.

"No, it can't be!" Both Carly and Stephanie say. "Say it isn't so!" Says Minako.

A single hubcap rolls out of the wreck, it clearly came from Nicholas' scary black runner.

Then Phoenix Whirlwind soars out of the explosion, spectacularly. Jack is expressionless behind his helmet visor, Nicholas slung haphazardly over his shoulder, left-hand bar, and along the same-side fin. Jack lands on the track and brakes sideways, smoke and destruction at his back. "It takes more than a little parlor trick to drag a true champion down!" Jack says.

The crowd cheers.

Minako, Carly, and Stephanie the waitress breathe a collective sigh of relief.

The Team 6D's pit booth smiles their relief and pride, the twins laughing. "Yeah!" Says Leo.

The announcer is momentarily struck speechless. What now? Then he recovers threefold. "Ggh... It's over-r-r-r! Nicholas's runner took some se-e-rious damage… he can't pass the baton to the next duelist! With two back-to-back victories, Team Six-D's advances to the Fina-a-a-al-l-l-ls!" The announcer says.

Confetti is drifting through the air, or possibly ash. Nicholas stands to one side of Jack and his runner, completely deflated and nonplussed. "You saved my life. Why did you do zhis?" Asks Nicholas. "You're a lousy cheat, and you're a lousy duelist." Jack says. He points his finger, accusingly. Nicholas flinches, looking lost. "And I want you to live with that for a while! What kind of a duelist would hurt people to get ahead? A duel is a clash between two spirits firing on all cylinders, it's not a cheap contest of whatever it takes!" Says Jack. Nicholas' face trembles, his words are cutting him deeply. "If you don't believe in yourself! Then go home, and leave the dueling to the duelists!" Jack says.

Team 6Ds' pit booth is still smiling and laughing, proud of his victory. "Well done." Says Skylara.

 _"Shadow cards? Is zhis what I've been looking for? Is this a link to Yliaster?"_ Sherry thinks to herself.

High above, Lester stands, watching the proceedings. "Poor Primo and Lady Galaxia. Always trying to hatch elaborate schemes, only to drop the eggs and break them! Ahahahahahahahahah! Huh? Primo? Lady Galaxia? Where didja two go?" Lester asks. He is alone.

Garage doors open one after another, streaming light into a dark room. Riders zoom toward the opening doorways, each identical to the last five, metallic, faceless, taking to the road ahead by the dozens, each identical to the Ghost that once terrorized New Domino's streets.

Primo stands atop the building's tip pointing them on, robes waving in the breeze, dramatically, against cloudy grey skies, birds scattering to the air. Galaxia stands beside him, cloak and hood waving in the breeze. "Go, my duel bots! With the power of the shadows fueling your mission, send this city spiraling into chaos!" Says Primo.

And at the base of this mighty skyscraper, the duel bots rush out onto the highway without cease.


	14. Chapter 14

_Chapter 14: Primo's Plan: Part 1_

At the Kaibadome in New Domino City. "Zhank you for saving me, Jack." Nicholas says. Jack rides away toward the pit booths.

Just then, Sherry vaults the fence beside the track, runs up to Nicholas, and, as he turns, grabs him by the front of his jacket. "You, where did you get zhat shadow card?! Who gave it to you?!" Asks Sherry. She grabs the deck from his duel disk and picks the 'Doom's Ray' trap out of it. As she grips it, the card's distinctive image of a bomb about to explode fades, leaving the card image marbled with grey, charcoal-like fog. _"Zhe image has vanished!"_ Sherry thinks to herself.

A traffic signal changes, and Zora begins to cross a deserted street somewhere in New Domino City. She hears a runner engine and turns to look down the street. "Hmm? Igh...!" Zora says.

She sees a lone rider approaching at top speed, and pirouettes on her toes, as he roars past, just narrowly avoiding being hit.

"Eee! Yahh! Ugh! Hey, respect the elderly! Huh?" Asks Zora. Then she pauses, then looks behind her, just in time to almost dodge several more riders, each identical to the next. "Ooohhh!" Zora says. They leave her lying in the crosswalk flat on her face, unharmed but dazed. When she lifts her head, her eyes are spinning, in comical spirals. "Iiiiigghh...!" Says Zora.

The identical riders roar out into a duel lane through a hole smashed in the side of a closed track in a neverending stream.

Several spectators in the skybox near the track on which the WRGP held its practice circuits are among the first to spot them. "They just crashed through the barricade!"

The formation of seventeen absolutely identical riders comes to a fork in the track and splits, four peel off to the right, then another fork allows four more to peel off to the left, leaving nine zooming along the center lane.

Not far away, a WRGP tournament duel is happening on the practice track with the bleachers. The Team Lightning duelist, his runner and riding suit bronze yellow, with spiky designs, a small cowboy hat over his helmet, has 2300 lifepoints.

The Team White Tiger duelist, his runner stylized in the image of his team's namesake, complete with roaring cat face for a nose and for a helmet, has 2500 lifepoints.

The audience is calling out. "C'mon, Team Lightning! Rip it up!" "Team White Tiger! All the way!"

The duelists zoom past the bleachers and into another lap.

Then several more riders follow them through the gate.

"What're those other runners doing on the track?" "Ahh, don't tell me it's another one of those dueling protests." "Dude, holograms have rights, too."

Out on the track, the Team White Tiger duelist spots the unauthorized riders in his rearview camera. "Rrgh, what is all this? Huh?"

A formation of four identical riders overtakes him, the frontmost rider in front of him, the rear behind, and the other two to his left and right, he's surrounded.

"Are you boys lost or something?!"

The rider to his right answers, he's now close enough for the duelist to see his face, a perfect facsimile of the Ghost that once terrorized New Domino's streets. "We are exactly where we want to be!"

The White Tiger duelist growls under his breath, that is not a comforting response.

"Transitioning to Battle Royale Mode."

"Huh?!" His runner screen shows a big logo in red and black. "Battle Royale Mode is now engaged." The computer says. "What in the world is going on? I didn't tell you to switch modes!"

"Let's duel!"

Two glowing white circles, or perhaps an eight, or infinity, appear around the two Ghosts to either side of the White Tiger duelist, such that they intersect on top of him. "It's my turn now." Draws, then plays what he drew. "I summon Ally of Justice Nullifier to the field. Then, I place two cards face down and end my turn!"

"Wait, you can't just end your…"

"My turn now!" The Ghost to his left draws next, then also plays what he drew. "I summon Ally of Justice Garadholg to the field."

"At this moment, I activate a trap card! 'Release and Reverse'! With the power of this trap card, I can release Garadholg from my field by taking damage equal to its attack points!" This makes Ghost 1's lifepoints now 2400. "And then, I can resurrect Garadholg on my opponent's field." Ally of Justice Nullifier disappears from Ghost 1's field and reappears on Ghost 2's field.

"But, is my opponent too, right?!"

"Now, both monsters attack you directly!"

"I don't know what you boys are up to! But, I activate my 'Negate Attack' trap! This trap will stop your monsters from attacking, and end the battle phase!"

"No it won't. 'Cause I've got the 'Solemn Judgment' trap!"

"What?!"

"By halving my lifepoints, I can negate the activation of your trap card." This gives Ghost 1 1200 lifepoints now.

"Gah!"

"Garadholg and Nullifier, attack!"

"Aaaggghh…!" The duelist from Team White Tiger's lifepoints drop straight to 0, his steam vents burst open and spit steam in his face, then he topples backward and falls off his runner.

The Team Lightning duelist looks back, with an anxious groan.

The Ghost that was riding ahead of the Team White Tiger duelist draws a card. "Now for you!"

"Aaaaaaahhh!" His cry echoes across the city, in which small plumes of smoke are beginning to appear along several dueling tracks that cross the water. "No-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!"

Primo and Galaxia survey the city from their vantage point atop the building from which the former released the Ghosts. "Heheheheheheheheh. So sorry to interrupt your little tournament everyone! But, I was getting bored with the way it was being played! So I've decided to change the rules." Says Primo.

Back at the Kaibadome, the announcer addresses the crowd on the Sphere. "Your attention please. We've just received breaking news that multiple accidents have occurred at several Preliminary match sites. No duelists were seriously injured, and as we learn more, so will you." The announcer says, somberly, via-Sphere.

Team 6D's is listening, with concern, from down by the track.

The crowd is apprehensive. "Oh, man, I sure do hope the officials don't have to cancel the tournament because of all of this."

"Well, this can't be good." Says Skylara.

Out in the parking lot, Trudge and Minako are beside their Security car. Several other patrol cars are grouped loosely around the lot. Trudge grabs a walkie-talkie from the car through the open window. "Maybe the traffic signals are on the fritz again. I mean, with all the recent budget cuts." Minako says. "Trudge to dispatch, what's the situation out there?"

Skylara, Yusei, Jack and Bruno jog out to join them. "Well, Officer Trudge..."

The PSB dispatch is three rows of officers, men and women, at computer screens. Other screens around the room show various turbo-duels being crashed by various Ghosts, some empty roads, and the big screen in the center shows an aerial map that is somewhat infinity-shaped. "We're not sure what's happening, but, seems like the turbo-duel system on the highway grid, suddenly changed to Battle Royale mode!"

"What is that?!" Asks Trudge. "Wait… stand by…" "Huh..." Trudge says.

"We're picking up several new identification signals... Make that about a hundred!"

"Where are they coming from? Can we get a visual?" Asks Yusei. Trudge reaches through the car window and touches a screen set into the dashboard. It lights up and shows a skyscraper at the center of the city. "Let me zoom in." Trudge says. He zooms in, close enough that one of the individual riders fills the screen. "That looks like the Ghost!" Says Skylara. "But, that's impossible!" Jack says.

"Skylara!" Says Sherry.

Everyone turns.

Sherry pulls off her helmet, she and Ellsworth are both on their runners, ready to ride.

"Sherry, Ellsworth." Skylara says. "'Sherry', huh? She sure is pretty." Says Trudge, blushing. "Ugh!" Minako says. She stabs him in the toe, impatiently, with her ankle-strap, heeled shoe. Trudge jumps up and down, holding his foot. "Yow! Ow!" Says Trudge. "Looks like we're dealing with an army of Ghosts." Yusei says.

"I know. They just showed them on the jumbotron." Says Sherry.

"If it's us they want, why don't they just come and get us?" Jack asks. "Maybe it's not us they want. They're attacking the other duelists. Maybe the Ghosts're just trying to crash the tournament." Says Bruno.

"We do not know what they want." Sherry says.

"Well, we know they aren't here to make friends! So, whatever they are trying to do, we have to stop them!" Says Skylara.

"And just how do you suggest we do that? There could be hundreds of them." Ellsworth says.

"Look, we all know they are just machines, right? Someone must be controlling them." Says Skylara.

"Then let us split up and find zhis 'someone'!" Sherry says.

"Who's going with me?" Asks Kaz.

"Hmm?" All of them ask.

Officer Kaz has joined them on his runner.

"Officer Kaz!" Says Jack.

"You and me, Jack Atlas. Whaddaya say?" Kaz asks.

"So long as ya don't get in my way." Says Jack, good-naturedly. "Let's all slow down. Dispatch informed us the duel ways have been switched to Battle Royale mode." Trudge says. "Listen, guys. That's not a one-on-one thing, it's a free-for-all. We're seriously outnumbered." Says Bruno. "Battle damage'll be real, too. So, let's just save those who are in trouble. And then focus on finding whoever's behind all this." Yusei says. "Evil dueling robots on a rampage, overwhelming odds, real battle damage, hmm. Sounds like a good time." Says Jack. "All right, you guys. It is time to ride. Yusei, Sherry and Ellsworth, you guys are with me! Let's do this!" Skylara says. She, Jack and Yusei rev up and head past the outer wall of the parking lot, onto the streets.

Bruno, riding a yellow runner, that's too small for him, at a much slower pace, zooms after them. "Hey, wait for me!" Says Bruno.

More glowing lines are etching their way through the Circuit, it's getting closer and closer to forming a closed infinity symbol.

"The Circuit is gathering more and more strength! Everything is going according to plan." Jakob says.

"That's great an' all, but why does the plan have to be such a snoozefest?" Asks Lester. He materializes in his own throne.

"We are not doing this to entertain ourselves, Lester. Ours is a noble task." Jakob says.

"Ours is a boring task! All this sitting around and waiting is driving me crazy!" Says Lester.

"These turbo-duels generate the power of Ener-D. The power of Ener-D energizes the Circuit. And when the Circuit is complete, the Divine Temple will appear. Such a glorious occasion is more important than your personal amusement." Jakob says.

"Look at how big this circuit is! It practically covers the entire city. If a temple that big suddenly falls from the sky, everyone down there will be in great jeopardy." Says Lester, amused.

"That is a small price to pay. This must be done in order to, what's going on?!" Jakob asks. A screen appeared next to him.

Several more holoscreens pop into view around the empty space, all showing the streets of New Domino and the tournament duelists in battle with the Ghosts.

"What?! What is this?!" Asks Jakob.

Lester stands on his seat and gestures broadly around at the screens. "Those are Primo's robots!" Lester says.

"I'm aware of that! What I want to know is, why are they disrupting the tournament?!" Asks Jakob.

Lester sits down again. "Guess Primo got sick of sitting on the sidelines and decided to stir up some trouble! And I'm guessing wherever Primo is, Lady Galaxia is surely with him! Ahaha!" Lester says. He kicks his feet, and rocks back and forth. "Now, this is more like it, haha-hahahahahaha!" Says Lester.

"I warned Primo not to take matters into his own hands." Jakob says.

Beneath the overcast skies, a plate-glass pavilion glows like a beacon from its indoor lighting. Several multicolored holographic billboards hang in midair around it.

Beyond it and below it stretch several freeways and a runner track.

Down on one of them, an unsuspecting female turbo-duelist, in white, red and pink, with a huge, bushy, blonde ponytail is being surrounded by Ghosts. She speaks in a valleygirl accent. "Hel-l-o-o? I think you guys are in the wrong lane!"

"Go, Nullifier! Attack her directly!"

"Aaaahhhh!"

"Not so fast!" Says Skylara.

"Huh?"

"I play Swift Scarecrow!" Yusei says. His monster zooms up from behind and throws itself in front of the blast, and is destroyed in a puff of smoke.

"Who did that?!"

"Huh?" Three Ghosts have surrounded the duelist from the front and sides.

Behind that formation, another is approaching fast.

Skylara, with Yusei, almost directly to her right, Sherry behind to his right and Ellsworth behind to her left, all four ready for action.

Yusei speeds up to ride next to the duelist he just shielded.

"Hey, aren't you…?"

"Just leave these jerks to me!" Says Yusei.

She nods, without argument, and decelerates, letting him take her place.

"It's my turn now! Junk Synchron, welcome to the battle!" Yusei says. Junk Synchron has 1300 attack points and is a level 3 monster. "Next, I summon Swift Scarecrow from my graveyard and Mirror Ladybug from my hand. And now, I'll tune Swift Scarecrow and Mirror Ladybug with my Junk Synchron, in order to synchro-summon, Stardust Dragon! Let's rev it up!" Says Yusei. Stardust appears in a burst of shimmering white mist, wings spread, ready for battle. Stardust Dragon has 2500 attack points and is a level 8 monster. "And when he's out, one of my sister's monsters can appear onto the field without synchro-summoning! So, come on out and lend us a claw, Cynder the Black Dragon!" Yusei says.

Cynder appears from Stardust's shadow, shadowed in darkness, wings spread, ready to fight alongside Stardust. Cynder the Black Dragon has 2900 attack points and is a level 8 monster.

"Stardust Dragon, take flight and attack with Cosmic Flare!" Says Yusei. Stardust blasts Ally of Justice Nullifier with shining mist.

The opposing Ghost's lifepoints decrease from 900 to 0. Steam vents from his runner, he lists to the side and explodes.

Across the city, another Ghost is attacking another duelist. "And now, Ally of Clausolas, attack him!"

Ally of Justice Clausolas goes in for an attack against a very scared duelist, with bushy, black sideburns, eyebrows and bangs sticking out from under his helmet and goggles. Those, and his white riding costume, make him perhaps slightly resemble Elvis. "Huaaaaahhh!"

"I don't think so!" Jack says.

"By activating Battle Eater's special ability, I can take that damage instead!" Says Kaz. He discards a monster card, and gets raked by the bird-monster's nasty talons. His lifepoints decrease from 4000 to 1500. "Aaaagghhh!"

"Don't be so reckless, Kaz! The battle damage is real!" Jack says.

"Reckless is my middle name, Jack." Says Kaz.

Jack smiles, he can respect that. "That's great. But, if you land in the hospital again, it's going to make me look bad. Hang back for now. It's my turn! I summon Vice Berserker!" Jack says. Vice Berzerker has 1000 attack points and is a level 4 monster. "And then, by using one of your trap cards as bait, I can summon to the field, Trap Eater!" Says Jack.

Trap Eater munches down on the Ghost's 'DNA Surgery' trap and appears on the field. "Now, Vice Berzerker gets a tuning from Trap Eater!" Jack says. Trap Eater's four stars form four green rings, and Vice Berzerker rises through them. "I synchro-summon, Red Dragon Archfiend!" Says Jack. Red Dragon Archfiend has 3000 attack points and is a level 8 monster. "Next, I activate Vice Berzerker's special ability." Jack says. His lifepoints decrease to 2000, and Red Dragon Archfiend's attack points increase to 5000. Jack pivots around to ride backward. "Retribution! After all, my favorite kind of Ghost is the kind that's been smashed into a thousand pieces! Go, Absolute Powerforce!" Says Jack.

Archfiend blasts Clausolas, and its Ghost. The Ghost's lifepoints are slammed down to 1300.

The Sphere in the Kaibadome shows a live feed of Jack, Kaz, Archfiend and the Ghost.

"Yeah! The Jack attack!" Leo says. "That does it. I'm not lettin' those guys have all the fun!" Says Crow. He stands up and walks toward his runner. "Crow, don't! You're in pretty bad shape!" Leo says. "Chibi!" Says Chibi Chibi. "I'm fine, I feel like a million bucks..." Crow says. Luna just barely touches his right shoulder with a fingertip, and he doubles over in pain, clutching his shoulder. "G-gaaahh!" "Yeah, well, you seem more like fifteen cents to me! If you go out there, Crow. You're just going to get in the way. Sometimes being a good teammate means laying low." Says Luna. "You say a lot of smart things, Luna." Leo says. "Yeah, well, one of us has to, Leo!" Says Luna. Crow looks up at the Sphere. "Sorry, guys. I'm on the bench." Crow says, sadly. Chibi Chibi tugs at his pant leg. "Uncle Crow." Says Chibi Chibi, softly. Crow looks down at her. "What's up, kiddo?" Crow asks. Chibi Chibi reaches up to him. Crow hesitates at first and then picks Chibi Chibi up, holding her in his arms. "You don't usually come up to me…" Says Crow, confused. He then notices that Chibi Chibi's shaking a little bit and she's on the verge of tears. "What's wrong, Chibi Chibi?" Crow asks.

Primo and Galaxia survey the gloomy, overcast city, with several lines of smoke winding up from its duel tracks.

On the map of the Circuit, minuscule points of green light are moving in a diamond formation, like Ghosts surrounding a duelist. Then, one by one, they fade and disappear.

Primo grimaces, sensing the loss. "Ugh! Someone is meddling, and I think I know who!" Says Primo. "Primo!" Jakob says, via-image. An image of him materializes in the air in front of him. "Go away! I'm a little busy right now." Says Primo. "How dare you interfere with the Prime Directive!" Jakob says, via-image. "I am doing what needs to be done! By forcing all these humans into dueling, we can create the Circuit in no time!" Says Primo.

Jakob's addressing a larger-than-life image of Primo's resentful face from his throne in the massive blue room. "If you force them to battle out of fear, you won't draw out their true abilities! They'll be scared, and desperate, and sloppy! As a result, a perfect circuit will never be formed!" Jakob says.

"Besides, it sounds like you've got a little bit of a Skylara problem brewing. Better to pull back now than to have her embarrass you a second time! Ahahahahaha!" Says Lester.

"I've heard enough!" Primo says, via-image.

"My plan is in motion! There's no stopping it now!" Says Primo. "Primo!" Jakob says, via-image. Primo shuts down the image by tapping his eyepiece or a button somewhere on it. "Skylara Galatea, you're making a mistake! I'm going to teach you what happens to those foolish enough to get in my way!" Says Primo. He then turns to face Galaxia. "If that's alright with you, my Lady. It's your decision if you want for her to be defeated." Primo says. "Why do you want my approval for what happens to her? This is your plan, not mine." Says Galaxia. "It's just that, since Skylara is, please forgive me for saying this. But, she basically is you. Or your other half, anyway." Primo says. "Let's make one thing clear, she means nothing to me. So, you may do what you like. Kill her or don't, it doesn't really matter to me." Says Galaxia. "Very well, my Lady." Primo says.

"And now, I…" Says Jack. He stops.

The Ghosts are retreating. They split off onto branching freeways in either direction.

Leaving Jack and Kaz alone.

"They're fleeing. I guess, they've had enough." Jack says.

"Huh?" Trudge and Minako have been watching their aerial map of the city through the car window. "Looks like the Ghosts're giving up." Says Trudge. "I don't think they're giving up, look at their trajectories!" Minako says. "Uh?" Asks Trudge. "Don't you see it?" Minako asks. "They're all gathering in one location!" Says Trudge.

Stardust looses another blast of shimmering mist, Cynder's blast of dark fire joins in with it, and another Ghost bites the dust, spins out, and crashes into the side of the track with a plume of smoke.

"Where to next?" Skylara asks.

"Uh? Behind us!" Says Sherry.

Skylara looks over her shoulder.

Riding up on them are about ten Ghosts that can be seen, and probably more behind them.

"There is tons of them!" Skylara says.

"And according to zhe radar, zhere's more on zhe way!" Says Sherry.

Seen from above, twelve Ghosts are trailing the three of them, momentarily joined by seven or eight more at the next freeway merge.

"Heheheheheh. D'you hear that? It's the sound of your demise, Skylara!" Primo says.

Skylara, Yusei, Sherry and Ellsworth zoom ahead of dozens of Ghosts on a runner track somewhere in New Domino.

"Zhere are too many of zhem!" Says Sherry.

"Sherry's right. We have to get out of here." Ellsworth says.

A glowing white circle appears around the four of them, bordering another that's around one of the Ghosts.

Skylara's runner screen shows the Battle Royale logo. "Engaging Battle Royale mode." Says the computer. "Too late, we have been forced into duel mode. We have to do this." Skylara says.

"You have interfered with our mission! For that, you will pay! I summon Ally of Justice Garadholg in attack mode! Then, I place two cards face down and end my turn."

"Let me handle this. It's my move! I summon Spirit Summit Warrior!" Says Ellsworth. Spirit Summit Warrior has 1200 attack points and is a level 4 monster. "When this monster is successfully summoned, I can summon a level-three warrior directly from my hand to join it on the field. I call forth Liberated Rear Warrior!" Ellsworth says. Liberated Rear Warrior has 0 attack points and is a level 3 monster. "And now, I tune Liberated Rear Warrior with Spirit Summit Warrior…" Says Ellsworth. Liberated Rear Warrior rises into the air among circular jewels in shades of tuning green, its stars forming rings. Spirit Summit Warrior rises into alignment with them. "In order to synchro-summon, Driven Daredevil!" Ellsworth says. Driven Daredevil has 2400 attack points and is a level 7 monster. Ellsworth shifts gears and pivots to ride backward. "Now, attack!" Says Ellsworth.

Ally of Justice Garadholg is destroyed, and Ghost 1's lifepoints decrease to 3200.

"Now, it is my turn! I draw! I'm activating zhe 'Overboost' speed spell! By lowering my speed counter to one during zhe end phase, I can use 'Overboost' now to temporarily increase my speed counters by four!" Sherry says. This gives her 6 speed counters. "With that done, I can activate 'Speed Fusion'! Zhis speed spell enables me to take specific monsters from my hand or field and send zhem to zhe graveyard in order to summon a fusion monster! And zhen, by combining Sacred Knight's Spear-Holder, and Horse of zhe Floral Knights, I can summon, Centaurmina!" Says Sherry. Centaurmina has 2200 attack points and is a level 6 monster. "Next, I'll call out Fleur Synchron!" Sherry says. Fleur Synchron has 400 attack points and is a level 2 monster. "And now, Centaurmina receives a tuning from Fleur Synchron!" Says Sherry. The air is full of sparkling flower petals, Centaurmina leaps through Fleur Synchron's two green rings. "I synchro-summon, Chevalier de Fleur!" Sherry says. Chevalier de Fleur has 2700 attack points and is a level 8 monster. "Now, Chevalier de Fleur attacks you directly!" Says Sherry.

Ghost 1 gets hit again, and is down to 500 lifepoints.

A second Ghost rides up, Ghost 2.

"Hm!" Sherry says. Her speed counters decrease to 1.

"This is the part where I come in! By sending Wrecking Ball from my hand to my graveyard, I can summon Wham-Shell!" Says Skylara. Wham-Shell has 700 attack points and is a level 5 monster. "And when I have a tuner out on my field, I can resurrect Wrecking Ball from my graveyard! Come on out to the field, little guy!" Skylara says. Wrecking Ball has 800 attack points and is a level 2 monster. "And now, I summon Sparx in attack mode!" Says Skylara. Sparx has 300 attack points and is a level 1 monster. "Next up, I'm tuning Sparx and Wrecking Ball with my Wham-Shell!" Skylara says. Wham-Shell bashes his mace into the air, exploding itself into five stars, which expand into five rings. Sparx and Wrecking Ball float through them. "I synchro-summon, Flashwing!" Says Skylara. Flashwing has 3000 attack points, is a level 8 monster and is an earth type monster. Flashwing is a blue and purple gem dragon. "I can keep busting out monsters, because Falshwing's special ability allows me to summon Warnado!" Skylara says. Warnado has 900 attack points and is a level 2 monster. "I shall then end my turn! You are up, Yusei!" Says Skylara.

"I draw! By sending Quillbolt Hedgehog from my hand to my graveyard, I can summon Quickdraw Synchron!" Yusei says. Quickdraw Synchron has 700 attack points and is a level 5 monster. "And when I've got a tuner out on my field, I can bring back Quillbolt Hedgehog from my graveyard! Welcome to the field, little buddy!" Says Yusei. Quillbolt Hedgehog has 800 attack points and is a level 2 monster. "And now, I summon Reed Butterfly in attack mode!" Yusei says. Reed Butterfly has 300 attack points and is a level 1 monster. "Next up, I'm tuning Reed Butterfly and Quillbolt Hedgehog with my Quickdraw Synchron!" Says Yusei. Quickdraw aims and fires, exploding itself into five stars, which expand into five rings. Butterfly and Hedgehog float through them. "I synchro-summon, Road Warrior!" Yusei says. Road Warrior has 3000 attack points and is a level 8 monster. "Thanks to Road Warrior's special ability, I'm allowed to summon Speed Warrior!" Says Yusei. Speed Warrior has 900 attack points and is a level 2 monster. "Speed Warrior, attack! Go, Hypersonic Slash!" Yusei says.

Speed Warrior kicks Ghost 2 in the head, bringing his lifepoints down from 4000 to 3100.

A third Ghost has also joined the other two, Ghost 3.

"All right! Road Warrior, you're up! Attack with Lightning Claw!" Says Yusei.

Ghost 3's lifepoints fall dramatically from 4000 to 1000.

All three have fallen back, so they're riding just barely ahead of the crowd of other Ghosts.

"I place one card face down and end my turn." Yusei says.

"Playtime is over!"

"My 'Synchro Prominence' trap couldn't agree more! Every duelist controlling a synchro monster can now dish out one thousand points of damage." Says Skylara.

"En garde!" Sherry says.

"Take this!" Says Ellsworth.

Chevalier, Daredevil, Flashwing and Road Warrior assemble and launch a powerful blast.

Within it, Ghost 1's lifepoints sink from 500 to 0.

Ghost 2's lifepoints from 3100 to 2100.

And Ghost 3's lifepoints from 1000 to 0.

Ghosts 1 and 3 scream and fall behind, their runners fall over and do horizontal donuts, and the rest of the Ghosts part to pass them.

"I grow tire of your interference, Skylara! It is time for you to be silenced!" Galaxia says. She unsheathes her sword and hands it to Primo. "Here, take this. I'm heading back to Jakob and Lester, you can handle things from here." Says Galaxia. "Yes, my Lady." Primo says. He takes her sword and sheathes it.

Galaxia then walks away and disappears, leaving Primo behind.

Primo now stands atop a skyscraper, beneath an overcast sky, alone, robes billowing, face distorted with rage. "This is the last time you try to ruin my plans, Skylara! Now, I'm going to ruin you!" Says Primo.

Ghost 2's eyes glint red as he holds his drawn card. "I summon Ally of Justice Tractor! When a fire-attribute monster is on my opponent's field, I can move two Ally of Justice cards from my deck to my hand! By releasing Ally Tractor, Yusei. Your Road Warrior is a light-attribute monster. Therefore, I can summon these three creatures!" Cosmic Gateway has 2400 attack points and is a level 8 monster. They look like three, exceptionally, futuristic washing machines, with a round glass pane on the front of each. They're cylindrical centrifuges propped on four stout legs, with a variety of gadgets, tanks, and pumps attached to the sides.

"Oh, man, three?!" Yusei asks.

"And since you have three or more monsters and one is a light-attribute monster, I'm able to summon Cosmic Gateway from my hand. Now, Cosmic Gateway! Attack Driven Daredevil!"

Daredevil catches the attack on his swords, and it destroys both monsters. Ellsworth rides out the blast. "So, is that it?! Is that all that you've got?!" Asks Ellsworth.

"No! Now my other two Cosmic Gateways can attack!"

They do, blasting Ellsworth with two huge bolts of light. "Yaaaahhh!" His lifepoints go straight from 4000 to 0.

"Monsieur Ellsworth!" Sherry says.

Ellsworth's runner is spinning backward in horizontal donuts, and the crowd of Ghosts part smoothly to leave him behind.

The Ghosts are riding closer to them now.

"They're closing in on us!" Says Yusei.

"I place one card face down and end my turn."

"It's my move!" Sherry says.

"I activate the 'DNA Transplant' trap! This card grants me the power to bestow all monsters on the field with the attribute of my choice! I choose the attribute of light! I now summon Ally Salvo!" Ally Salvo has 400 attack points, 300 defense points, is a level 2 monster and is a dark type monster.

When Ally Salvo is destroyed in battle by a light-attribute monster, Ally Salvo destroys two cards on the field, as well.

"Let us spread the shadows!" Ally Salvo attacks Chevalier and is destroyed. Ghost 4's lifepoints decrease to 1700, but it's unfazed. "Now, Ally Salvo's special ability activates. When this card is destroyed in battle by a light-attribute monster, it takes two cards on the field down with it!"

"Zut alors! That 'DNA Transplant' trap gave Chevalier de Fleur the light attribute!" Says Sherry.

Chevalier explodes, and so does Speed Warrior, filling the air with smoke.

"Speed Warrior, too!" Yusei says.

"Aaaaaggghh!"

"Hang on, Sherry!" Says Skylara.

"It's too late! I summon Ally Salvo, attack!"

The next Ally Salvo rams the side of Sherry's runner, and she wobbles back and forth, fighting to recover. Sherry's lifepoints sink to 3600. Then she hears...

"It's my turn now! I summon Ally Salvo!"

"It's my turn now! I summon Ally Salvo!"

"It's my turn now! I summon Ally Salvo!"

"Attack!"

Ten Ally Salvos in all launch themselves at Sherry. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!" They batter her one after the other and bounce off. Sherry's lifepoints sink straight to 0. Her steam vents open and she starts to spin out.

"Sherry, no!" Skylara says.

The Ghosts part and let her pass, spinning on her side, wildly.

Now, it's only Skylara and Yusei left. "Hm." Says Skylara. _"Neither Flashwing or Road Warrior stand a chance against Ally Salvo's special ability! We can't win this. We have to shake these guys somehow!"_ Skylara thinks to herself.

"Run all you want, Skylara. But, you can't hide from me! Hmhmhmhmhmhmhm, hahahahahahahahahah! Hahahahahahaha!" Primo says.


	15. Chapter 15

_Chapter 15: Primo's Plan: Part 2_

The wheels of Skylara and Yusei's runners round another curve of a turbo-duel track somewhere in New Domino.

 _"This Ghost army just won't let up!"_ Skylara thinks to herself. An Ally Salvo flies in and rams her left side, sending her skidding over toward the other side of the track. As Skylara rights herself, her lifepoints fall from 2400 to 2000. Skylara looks over her shoulder.

The crowd of Ghosts is just beyond her sight, back along the dark track, each with an Ally Salvo ready to go.

Skylara then reaches towards her left side where she got hit, obviously hurt from the impact.

"Skylara, are you okay?" Yusei asks.

"I'm fine, Yusei." Says Skylara.

 _"This isn't looking good. She can't keep taking hits. Otherwise, her body is gonna get worse than it already is. We both gotta outrun these guys!"_ Yusei thinks to himself.

"Yusei! Skylara!" Bruno says. He's riding along a highway that runs parallel, the chase just in view. _"They're outnumbered, they can't win! Come on, think! There's gotta be something you can do to save them!"_ Bruno thinks to himself. He squeezes his eyes shut, and hears a deep voice. "There is somethin' you can do. Remember your directive." Bruno's eyes fly wide open. "Ah!" Says Bruno.

Flashback/vision. The Floating Eye, rotating benignly in its empty white-tiled chamber. Just visible through its heavy white plating, in skin, as rough as a woodcut image, is a single intense royal blue eye. "You have one purpose." Bruno faces it alone, and when he lifts his head, his eyes are shining red. Beyond them, lies a thousand streams of swirling green ones and zeroes, spiraling and twining around each other in helical rivers of data toward a huge metal frame. The flashback/vision ends.

Back to the present. Red glowing lines appear on the irises of Bruno's eyes, as though to map and graph it. "My directive is clear. I exist for only one reason. I must keep Skylara safe." Bruno says, speaking in a level, emotionless tone. His wheels lift from the road and he jumps his runner into the air, spectacularly.

A highway rolls along the shoreline above the small beach where Bruno was found, and waves batter the cliffs.

Bruno races down the road at top speed, then leaps the cliff toward the beach. Bruno casts aside the runner that got him there in midair, and spreads his arms, skydiving toward the shoreline. Bruno somersaults in midair and lands, perfectly balanced, in the ocean foam. "Ha!" Says Bruno. He stands, and stares straight out at the ocean, the irises of his eyes clouded, with rapidly-scrolling horizontal text in green. "Delta Eagle, rise again." Bruno says.

Across the silent ocean, the shriek of a runner engine can be heard. Then the surface a few yards out explodes in a vertical column of patchy, yellowish light, and something just below the surface zooms toward shore, whipping up a froth of ocean around itself that hides it from view.

As it passes over shallower water, the froth subsides, revealing a very familiar duel runner, with a very long, pointy nose and only one large wheel that sits behind the driver's seat. It zooms toward Bruno, who waits for it, expression resolute.

Yusei and Skylara race onward, pursued by a dozen or two Ghosts.

"We can't lose these guys!" Says Skylara.

"Heheheheheheheheh."

"There's nowhere for you to run, Skylara."

"And nowhere to hide!"

Yusei gasps. _"They aren't after me, they're after her. But, the question is why."_ Yusei thinks to himself.

The air around is turning purple, a stream of fuchsia, with bright white specks flying past. Bruno is riding the duel runner he summoned from beneath the ocean, his blue-grey eyes still wide and staring. They narrow, and green text scrolls past upon them.

Bruno starts to glow bright turquoise blue, then a bubble of bright green text or data spreads around him. Turquoise specks gather around his left leg, in blue jeans and tennis shoes, and it shines, then reappears in a strange, futuristic boot, and hard plastic armor from the knee up. His right arm is encased in a metal, turbo-dueling glove, with a deck slot. In place of his red Team 6D's blazer, appears a heavy grey chestplate, and the helmet he was wearing changes form and shape. With this runner and gear, he has become recognizable as Visor, the mysterious duelist who showed Skylara the power of Accel Synchro. For the first time, both of his intense grey eyes can be seen through his visor. _"I'm coming, Skylara."_ Visor thinks to himself. He tears up the track, whipping up twin streams of dust behind him.

Meanwhile, the crowd of Ghosts have caught up to Skylara and Yusei, a few are nearly ahead of them. "You're going down, Ally Salvo attack!"

"Attack!"

"Attack!"

"Attack!"

"Attack!"

"Attack!"

Skylara looks up, ready to get hit by another Ally Salvo.

"Skylara!" Visor says.

"Hm?" Asks Skylara.

"Don't worry, I've got your back!" Visor says. He's riding up on them from behind, fast, with T.G. Blade Blaster soaring at his side.

"Visor?!" Asks Skylara.

Visor replies, with a slow, half-smile, and goes into action. "I'm equipping Tech Genus Blade Blaster, with the 'Buster Blaster' card!" Visor says. As soon as this robot appears, it begins to transform. Its hands fold into its arm sockets and its arms telescope in proximally, its torso compacts, its head retracts, and its feet fold out into gun barrels. T.G. Blade Blaster grips the handles on its shoulders. "Now, a monster equipped with 'Buster Blaster' may lose five hundred attack points..." Says Visor. T.G. Blade Blaster's attack points decrease to 2800. It levels its new, shiny weapon. "But, if it still manages to destroy a monster in battle, then every similar type of monster on the field goes down with it. And right now, there's a whole lotta machine-types out there. Blast away! Go!" Visor says. The gun's two barrels gather charged energy, and it blazes out, frying every last Ally Salvo out of the air.

Skylara is riding ahead, and she looks over, as Visor catches up to her and Yusei. "Thank you for that." Says Skylara.

"Skylara, both you and Yusei speed up. Your only hope to shake these Ghosts is by breaking the Wall. Both of you catch my slipstream and try to keep up!" Visor says. He rides ahead.

Skylara shifts over to ride directly behind.

And Yusei rides directly beside her.

As they speed up, the wind is visible as it races past them.

"What 'Wall' are you talking about?" Asks Yusei.

"Just keep up!" Visor says.

Primo watches the three runners cruise along the track from up high. "Where are you going?" Asks Primo. Skylara and her runner appear in his red-tinted vision, teeming with informational tags in an alien script, as though on a diagram. "You think you can escape me? Think again!" Primo says. The infinity on his eyepiece shines red, and he leaps from the top of the skyscraper, robes billowing behind him. As he freefalls down the side of the building, red scrolling text begins to appear in a dome around him, much similar to Bruno's. His robes shatter away, revealing grey plates of armor and spiky, gray hair, that splits down the middle into two different shades, with a bald spot above his right eye and small mark in the middle, before a helmet appears over that. Primo is now falling straight toward the track, and a duel runner zooms forward to meet him. "You fraternal, half-twins are the ones who started all of this, Skylara Galatea and Yusei Fudo! But, I'm going to finish it!" Says Primo. He slows as he lands, to land on the seat of his duel runner, perfectly, and take the controls. He takes off down the dark, winding track.

Meanwhile, Yusei, Skylara and Visor round another curve, the wind streaming around them.

For Yusei and Skylara, the drive is not easy.

"Ugh! Visor, slow it down!" Skylara says.

"What's wrong, Skylara?! Can't take the rush?!" Asks Primo.

"Uh-oh. Sounds like we've got company." Visor says.

"You've had your fun, you've interfered with my plans and my schemes. Now you face, my Meklord Emperors!" Says Primo.

"Your Meklord Emperors? Does that mean that you are the one behind this Ghost army invasion?" Skylara asks.

"And what if I am?" Asks Primo.

"Why are you doing this?" Yusei asks.

"You couldn't possibly comprehend the reasons for my actions. There's no way the tiny and feeble human mind could wrap itself around the grand ideas governing the Pure Nobles!" Says Primo.

"Oh, so you are crazy." Skylara says.

"And you're finished. I am going to bury you for messing with my Ghost army! Prepare for the end!" Says Primo.

Skylara reaches for her side again, it's obviously getting worse as she continues to ride. "This is bad! I have taken a beating from that army of his, and I have only got a few lifepoints left, I can't…" Skylara says.

"Then allow me!" Says Visor. He lets Skylara and Yusei pass him and decelerates to ride next to Primo, then rams him from the side, sending him swerving backward. Primo's gone, for now.

Visor speeds up again to join Skylara and Yusei. "All right, this is the moment, Skylara. It's now or never. Your only escape is for both you and Yusei to achieve Accel Synchro together." Visor says.

"I don't know how and neither does Yusei!" Says Skylara.

"Don't focus on how. It isn't about the mechanics and engineering at this point. It's all about you and your brother. You two are half-twins and that's a very rare, practically unheard of thing. But, that's also what makes you two unique and quite frankly, special. You two are just as capable of doing things together as you are individually." Visor says.

Flashback/vision. An Ener-D reactor's energy spins in swirling, shimmering disks of light. "The force that's generated by the planetary particle is a living energy, capable of reading the human heart." Says Visor, in voice-over. The flashback/vision ends.

"It what?" Yusei asks.

"Are you saying that our engines are alive?" Asks Skylara.

Flashback/Vision. Alexander Fudo and Roman Goodwin, in the white lab coats of the old Reactor project, are looking opposite directions. Alexander looks ahead, his gaze as determined as Yusei's own, while Roman, behind him, looks aside, as though it's really going to be a shame to betray him. "In a way, yes. When your father, Alexander Fudo, and your father, Roman Goodwin, discovered what is now called Ener-D..." Visor says, in voice-over.

Change Flashback. A single figure in a labcoat, white-blonde hair whipping behind him, stands before the Reactor in all its glory, as it glows brighter and brighter and dark energy shot through, with streams of red, seems to cloud around it in the air. This could be when Roman first listened to the voices in the light, or it might be Zero Reverse. "They discovered a direct line to the power of the eternals." Says Visor, in voice-over.

Change Flashback. Jack and Crow grin from where they've crashed.

And Luna and Akiza watch from the sidelines, resolutely.

As Yusei faces down Goodwin. "That power is a living force that surrounds us all. It's part of everything, it's part of you." Visor says, in voice-over.

Each of their Signs glow on their arms.

And the additional markings and symbolic designs ignite along Skylara's body, while the Seal of the Crimson Dragon shines on her stomach and slightly her chest. Skylara's eyes are flaring in crimson red, as well as the red gradation portion of her hair, as she truly became one with the Crimson Dragon and harnessed the almighty powers that it bestowed upon her. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "A person in perfect harmony with the eternal power is capable of transcending time and space." Says Visor. He meets Skylara's gaze, levelly, one eye visible through his visor. "Synchronicity is the key. A clear mind. You and Yusei have to forget about everything else." Visor says.

"It sounds easy, but uh..." Says Skylara. She looks aside. "I just have so much on my mind." Skylara says.

"Let it all go. Forget about the world around you, and focus on the world within you." Says Visor.

Skylara looks at him again, doubtful.

"You can do this. Just listen to the wind." Visor says.

Skylara looks straight ahead. "Alright, I shall try." Says Skylara.

"I'll try, too." Yusei says.

Skylara looks straight ahead into the wind flying past her, and soon it obscures the road ahead, as though she's flying through a mass of clouds. _"Try. Seems like that is all I have been doing ever since Yusei's encounter with that first duel bot! I have trained and pushed myself. However, try as I might, I still can't pull off this whole Accel Synchro thing. What has been holding me back?"_ Skylara thinks to herself.

Out of the clouds looms Meklord Emperor Wisel, eyes glowing red and the inside of its chest shining green.

Skylara's right-hand grip falters as she rides toward it. _"Of course. Deep down, I have been afraid of the Meklord Emperors! They are all I think about! If I could just forget them and focus on myself."_ Skylara thinks to herself. Wisel's image is reflected in both of her eyes as she stares up at it, then she closes them, and guns the accelerator. _"The wind! All I can hear is the wind!"_ Skylara thinks to herself.

She bursts out of the clouds.

Yusei following close behind her.

And the air around them and their runners is turning bright fuchsia, white streaks of light shooting past.

Meklord Emperor Wisel shines, brightly, and becomes part of the streams.

Skylara looks straight ahead, awestruck, as the white light overtakes them. _"Everything is fading away! All my fears, all my worries!"_ Skylara thinks to herself. They fade into the white, until the light is all that can be seen. _"It is all just darkness and stardust."_ Skylara thinks to herself.

The air around the tunnel formed by the slipstream is in warm greens, yellows and oranges, and everything seems to move in slow motion.

Yusei and Skylara float through, their runners gone, looking around.

Then Yusei looks ahead, and sees a massive, glowing form. "Uh? What in the world is that?" Asks Yusei.

The dragon, glowing too brightly to be seen, slowly unfurls its wings, and seems to regard him.

Yusei stares, in amazement.

"No way!" Skylara says. She is looking in the opposite direction from him, and sees a massive, dark form.

This dragon unlike the one that Yusei's looking at, is far too dark to be fully seen, expands its wings, and seems to prefer her.

Meanwhile, Primo presses a button and the back of his runner creates a huge screen of charcoal-black smoke behind him, propelling him forward on his back wheel. "Duel me, Skylara! And if I have to duel Yusei, too! Then so be it!" Says Primo.

The dragon that Yusei is looking at, its glowing exterior shatters, and at last it can be seen. The edges of its wings and jaw recall Stardust Dragon in shape and color, but its wings are wider and stronger and its body is more heavily armored in bright white plates, with almost as tough charcoal-black skin showing between them. At the base of its sternum is nested a bright, round green jewel. And it could comfortably pick up Yusei himself with one of its five-clawed hands.

The other dragon that Skylara is looking at, the silhouette fades, and it can at last be seen. Its structure, face and wings recall Cynder the Black Dragon in shape, but its color scheme is slightly different and its wings are darker, sturdier and wider. Instead of it being black and red like Cynder is, this one is black and dark blue, with light cyan eyes. "This is it, Yusei! This is the power of the Accel Synchro!" Skylara says.

"This is perfect synchronicity!" Says Yusei

A third tablet is falling toward the Earth's atmosphere. It burns bright red, as it plunges through the air, but maintains its shape.

From the racing tracks of New Domino, the new shooting star can be seen. Yusei and Skylara and their runners are shooting off sparks like a living fireworks display, accelerating through the air as it turns purplish-red. With a bright flare of light, they are simply and suddenly gone.

"What?!" Primo asks.

"Skylara! Yusei!" Says Visor. He looks up at the shooting star overhead. "You two did it." Visor says, proudly.

"What is this?! They were just here! Where are they?!" Asks Primo.

"They're gone. They're both headed towards a new potential. Both Skylara and Yusei are way out of your reach." Visor says.

"Now, I remember you...!" Says Primo.

Flashback. Late at night, two runners careen along that cliffside highway, first Primo, then Visor. They round the cliffs' curves and corners, leaving the sparkling lights of the city far behind, riding neck-and-neck, ramming together, sparks flying.

"What is your interest in Skylara Galatea?!" Primo asks.

"Don't worry about that. Listen, if I were you, I would be much more concerned about what my interest is in you." Says Visor.

"Is that so?!" Primo asks.

"I was sent here to stop you from achieving your goal! And that's exactly what I'm gonna do, with my Accel Synchro!" Says Visor.

"With your what?" Primo asks. He zooms ahead and a little siamese kitten freezes in the approaching headlight.

At the last second, Visor rams Primo sideways, saving the kitten, and just barely misses it himself. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "I thought I'd gotten rid of you for good! Who are you, and what do you know about me?!" Asks Primo.

"I know that you're about to lose to me in a duel." Visor says.

"Heh, I think I might like you! But too bad, I have to destroy you!" Says Primo.

A tunnel of racing fuchsia light, and Yusei, Skylara and their runners come flying out of a portal in midair, landing easily on a terrain that is barren and rocky beneath a bright blue sky. "Where are we?" Yusei asks. He and Skylara climb the hill nearby, and discover that it's actually a large, scooped crater with two stone tablets standing proudly at the bottom, the rays of the harsh sun playing over their surface. The images on the tablet's face is of two different dragons.

Galaxia, Jakob and Lester can see it, too, on a screen in their massive blue room.

"Those stone tablets! Neither of them is one of ours!" Says Jacob.

"Why do they each get a stone tablet?!" Lester asks.

"Could it be? Is Yusei Fudo able to hear the voice of the Ancient One, as well? I know she can. However, can he I wonder?" Asks Galaxia.

"That is so wrong! He's just a stupid human, he's not special like us, it's not fair! The only reason why Skylara can is because…" Lester says. He stops when he notices Galaxia is glaring at him, her arms folded across her chest.

"You care to finish that statement, Lester?!" Asks Galaxia, threateningly.

"Uh, no, of course not. I apologize, my Lady. I shouldn't have brought it up." Lester says.

"That is what I thought." Says Galaxia, menacingly.

"It's nothing to be ashamed about, my Lady. It's not your fault that you are what you are of her. Or I mean, what she is of you. Uh, forgive me, Lady Galaxia." Jakob says.

They watch Yusei and Skylara approach the tablets.

They halt a few steps away, looking up at them. "That's amazing. The engraving looks just like a monster card! Hm." Says Yusei. Resolved, Skylara takes the last few steps and touches the surface of the tablet, with the gloved fingertips of one of her hands. A bright light domes out from Skylara's hand, then explodes out. Same thing happens to Yusei's tablet.

Back in the tunnel of rushing green, yellow and orange, tiny Duel Monster cards in green, purple, bronze and yellow are flying by. Yusei and Skylara soar into them, arms spread, then gasp, up ahead is a line of black, like a dark chasm, spinning closer and closer.

Skylara's eyes fly open, and she blinks. The room is tiled in pure white, ceiling and floor, and its walls, if they exist, are so far away that they're out of sight. Yusei seems to be knocked out, as if he is not meant to see this part. "I recognize this place!" Skylara says. Across the room, she spots a figure, and immediately sees the single, bright, royal blue eye in a woodcut face through the gaps in the Floating Eye's white plating, watching her. "You again!" Says Skylara.

Flashback. Skylara, Chibi Chibi, Bruno and Sherry are stunned to find themselves scrutinized by a mysterious, white plated entity in a shining white room. The flashback ends.

"What are you?!" Skylara asks.

"What are you holding in your hand, Skylara Galatea?" The creature speaks in a deep voice, from somewhere in the detailed metallic silver, white and cream plating at its base.

Skylara's anger fades to surprise, she looks down, and finds that she's gripping a single card. "Hm? This isn't mine." Says Skylara. She flips it over to see the image.

The blue eye watches her. "You hold the path to a clear mind. A card that will allow you to Accel Synchro. Same thing for your younger, half-twin brother, too."

"Are you giving this to me?!" Skylara asks.

"It isn't mine to give. This card has found you, its possibilities now live within your mind."

"What are you talking about?" Asks Skylara.

"I see before me multiple futures. But, I cannot determine which one awaits you. You must simply travel the path you think is correct." The thing glides away into the distance, as smoothly as if on casters, or levitating.

Skylara tries to run after it, leaping forward, arm outstretched. "No, wait!" Skylara says.

And her heeled boots land on packed dirt. Skylara's back on the sun-scorched plain where the stone tablets landed. She pauses, then looks around. The face of the stone tablets before her is now blank. She stares at them for a long moment.

Yusei then finally comes to and sits up, reaching for his head, as if hit with a terrible headache. Skylara kneels down to one knee beside him and places one of her gloved hands on his shoulder. "Are you alright, Yusei?" Asks Skylara. "Yeah, I think so." Yusei says. Skylara then helps him up to his feet.

They soon climb to the top of the crater, their runners are right where they left them, on the plain below. They look out over the horizon.

Beyond the rocky ground lies a dense metropolis, overshadowed, with heavy clouds, trails of smoke drifting up from below to meet them. If that's New Domino City, it's barely recognizable.

 _"_ _'Travel the path I think is correct'. Right now, that path is doing what I can to save New Domino City."_ Skylara thinks to herself. She looks at the card in her hand, then adds it to the deck holstered to her belts on her left thigh.

Meanwhile, Visor and Primo are riding fast enough to shoot up sparks from the track as they pass. "The first move is mine." Says Primo.

"So, make it!" Visor says.

Primo draws. "Are you in a rush to meet your demise? Well then, let's not hesitate a moment longer! I summon Wise Core in defense mode! Then, I place one card face down and end my turn." Says Primo.

 _"A monster with no defense points. He wants me to attack._ _Wise Core has the ability to instantly summon a Meklord Emperor. But, it has to be destroyed by an effect, not an attack. Of course. Either way, that face down card will activate when I destroy Wise Core."_ Visor thinks to himself. "It's my turn now! Since you're the only one with monsters out on the field, I can special-summon Tech Genus Striker!" Visor says. T.G. Striker has 800 attack points and is a level 2. "And since I successfully summoned a level-two monster from my hand, I can keep the momentum going by special-summoning Tech Genus Warwolf from my hand!" Says Visor. T.G. Warwolf has 1200 attack points and is a level 3 monster "And now, with both of 'em on the field, level-two Tech Genus Striker tunes level-three Tech Genus Warwolf!" Visor says. T.G. Striker is surrounded by multicolored bubbles that shift into spiraling helixes, then overlaid with color-coded, translucent fluctuating charts and graphs in a light show of data. T.G. Warwolf leaps through the two aligning green rings, and the graphs align, too. "All systems are go! I synchro summon, Tech Genus Power Gladiator!" Says Visor. T.G. Power Gladiator has 2300 attack points and is a level 5 monster.

"Are you trying to put me to sleep?! What a joke!" Primo says.

"Perhaps Tech Genus Rush Rhino will wake you up!" Says Visor. T.G. Rush Rhino has 1600 attack points, 800 defense points, is a level 4 monster and is an earth type monster.

When Tech Genus Rush Rhino is destroyed in battle, you can draw another Rush Rhino from your deck, and add it to your hand.

"Your Meklord Emperors don't scare me! Tech Genus Power Gladiator, attack Wise Core!" Visor says.

"I activate my trap, 'Twin Vortex'! By activating this trap card when you attack, I can destroy one monster on your field by destroying one monster on my field!" Says Primo.

"A trap that employs a counterattack, and Wise Core's ability. Well, I've got a special ability a' my own. When Power Gladiator is destroyed, I get to draw one card!" Visor says.

The five pieces of Meklord Emperor Wisel assemble in midair, through a shining ring. "I had a feeling you knew this was coming! Since Wise Core was destroyed by an effect, I can destroy all my other monsters in order to summon, Meklord Emperor Wisel Infinity! Wisel Top!" Says Primo. Wisel Top has 500 attack points and is a level 1 monster. "Wisel Attack!" Primo says. Wisel Attack has 1200 attack points and is a level 1 monster. "Wisel Guard!" Says Primo. Wisel Guard has 1200 attack points and is a level 1 monster. "And Wisel Carrier!" Primo says. Wisel Carrier has 800 attack points and is a level 1 monster. "And now they combine, and Meklord Emperor Wisel Infinity gains the attack points of all the other components!" Says Primo. The plates on the front of Wisel Infinity open, revealing the shifting green vortex within, and the pieces hover upward, unfolding and connecting together into their giant robot, with 2500 attack points.

"So, that's Meklord Emperor Wisel?! My Rush Rhino can't defeat it right now, but don't think for a second that I'm scared of that hunk of bolts! I end my turn with two face down cards!" Visor says.

"And now, I'll end this duel! Attack, Meklord Emperor Wisel. Turn his Rhino into dust!" Says Primo.

Wisel destroys Rush Rhino, and Visor's lifepoints decrease to 3100. "You may've put Rush Rhino down, but it's definitely not out. Thanks to its special ability, it can charge back into battle!" Visor says. His deck spits out a card, he draws it and shows it, another Rush Rhino.

"Huhuhuh. That's little more than a consolation prize at this point. You can't defeat my Meklord Emperor, and you know it!" Says Primo. He places two face downs.

"We'll see about that. First, I summon Tech Genus Cyber Magician! This little guy's got a great special ability. When I use 'im to synchro-summon, I can tune him with monsters that are already in my hand. So now, my level-one Tech Genus Cyber Magician can tune with my level-four Tech Genus Rush Rhino!" Visor says. T.G. Cyber Magician is surrounded by multicolored bubbles that shift into spiraling helixes, then overlaid with color-coded, translucent fluctuating charts and graphs in a light show of data. Rush Rhino leaps through the single aligning green ring, and the graphs align as well. "All systems are go! I synchro-summon Tech Genus Wonder Magician!" Says Visor. T.G. Wonder Magician has 1900 attack points and is a level 5 monster. "And now, I activate a trap 'Double Type Rescue'! With two monster types on my field, since you've got more monsters than I do, I can summon one from my graveyard! You're probably thinking I've only got one monster type on my field! But, Tech Genus Wonder Magician is two types, she's a machine, and a spellcaster!" Visor says.

"Just activate it already!" Says Primo.

Visor has a small smile. "Now who's the one in a rush to meet his demise! From my graveyard, I'm summoning Tech Genus Power Gladiator!" Visor says.

"Two synchro monsters? Very impressive. I think I know the secret to your Accel Synchro!" Says Primo.

Pause.

Then Visor responds, with a nasty grin over his shoulder. "Well, now, I…" Visor says.

"Hmhmheheheheheh!"

Five Ghosts leap over from a nearby freeway, heading straight for Visor!

"Waaaugh!" Visor screams.

"Hmhmheheheheheh!" The Ghosts land on the track all around Visor, crowding him from all directions. The two on either side of him ram sideways at the same time, offbalancing him. He skids backward.

And Primo edges ahead of him, riding up to join his minions. "Hehehehahahaha!" Primo laughs.

"You're cheating! You're interfering with my Accel Synchro!" Says Visor.

"We're in Battle Royale Mode!" Primo says.

One of the Ghosts veers right in front of Visor, with an individual line. "Anything goes!" An Ally Salvo is summoned. "Go, Ally Salvo, attack!"

T.G. Wonder Magician rushes to the defense, and punches the great big explosive sphere, destroying it.

"When Ally Salvo is destroyed in battle by a light-attribute monster, the blast takes out two other cards on the field."

"What?!" Asks Visor. Power Gladiator and his face down card are destroyed.

"Heheheh! And all of a sudden, your field is wide-open." Primo says.

"Rrrrggggh!" Visor growls under his breath.

"You are finished!" Says Primo.

Then they hear the sound of approaching runners.

"What is that?!" Primo asks.

It's Skylara and Yusei, catching up to them from behind, eyes blazing, with quiet determination, they are both here to fight, and win.

"Skylara! Yusei!" Says Visor.

"You're back? I thought you ran away." Primo says.

Visor sideways-rams a Ghost out of the way and calls to Skylara. "This guy's all yours! I'll take care of the peons." Says Visor, addressing both half-twins.

Skylara nods, and rides right through the crowd of Ghosts around Visor to ride alongside Primo.

Yusei follows after Skylara, through the crowd of Ghosts around Visor to ride up next to her.

"Let's finish what we started." Skylara says.

"Big words, from someone who's about to be schooled in the fine art of destruction. I summon…" Says Primo. His runner screen flicks on. "Primo! Don't do it!" Jakob says, via screen. Primo looks at the screen. "They've both managed to acquire a new power. You need to back down." Says Jakob, via-screen. "Are you joking?!" Primo asks. "You're not gonna believe this, they both received a divine message from the Ancient One!" Says Lester, via screen. "What?!" Primo asks. "If you duel them, Skylara in particular, things are not going to end well for you." Says Galaxia, via screen. "Are you trying to say that I'll lose to these half-twins?!" Primo asks. "Primo…" Says Galaxia, via screen. Primo hits the screen with an open palm and it goes dark, then his hand clenches to a fist. _"So she's learned some new tricks, so what! She is still just a human, just like her younger half-twin brother!"_ Primo thinks to himself. He looks over toward Skylara, who's watching him closely. _"She has no idea what real power is!"_ Primo thinks to himself. He pauses midsentence when his eyepiece starts to glow red. Primo stands up, resting his feet on the foot pedals of his runner, staring straight ahead without moving. He draws Galaxia's sword that she gave him, from his right hip, swings it out to his left, then plunges it into the graveyard slot on his runner, hilt-deep. His eyepiece shines even brighter, and his entire runner starts radiating greenish-yellow light. Green scrolling text appears around him in a concentrated ellipsoid, just enough to surround the runner.

"O-kay, this is a first!" Yusei says.

 _"That sword, I have seen it before! However, that was so many years ago! That sword, it belongs to my incarnation Galaxia. But, how did he get possession of it?!"_ Skylara thinks to herself.

The light around Primo's runner seems to make the machine itself sparkle pure white. It glows even brighter, and shifts form. Primo bows his head, his helmet shatters and vanishes, revealing his wild, spiky gray hair, and he flies high into the air, also changing form. He's been more or less human shaped before now, but at this point that changes. His hips widen and become squarish, with perfectly round legs. His knees bend the direction most human knees do not, his boots and feet widen and lengthen, and metal plugs appear on the soles between his bootheel and toe. As his runner finishes transforming, so does he, and lands on it, fitting as perfectly into it as Galaxia's sword did. Heavy cables pull themselves out of the back and fasten directly into four ports that open up along his spine. The hilt of the sword folds down, then splits, then projects a holographic platform of light, becoming the dueling console. The cards he already had on the field, two face downs and Meklord Emperor Wisel's five pieces, arrange themselves on top of it. Red text scrolls through the inside of the infinity symbol on his eyepiece, and Primo, metamorphosis complete, has become far stronger, or at least far stranger, he has become one with his runner.

"A robot?!" Asks both Skylara and Yusei.

"Whoa, that must be this guy's true form!" Visor says.

"Skylara Galatea, you won't escape this time! So, let's duel!" Says Primo.

The confidence Skylara had a moment ago is looking a bit shakier now, as she faces off against him.


	16. Chapter 16

_Chapter 16: Primo's Plan: Part 3_

The cityscape of New Domino is clouded over with dark clouds, lit only by interior lights from the windows of buildings, by holographic billboards, and by a duel on one of the freeways.

Primo, Meklord Emperor Wisel looming over him, is ahead.

While Skylara on her black runner rides up on him from behind.

And Yusei on his red runner rides up next to Skylara, ready to assist her in this duel.

Visor follows a short distance behind, and in back of him is the cloud of Ghosts, seven or eight in all, each with an Ally Salvo ready.

Meklord Emperor Wisel is scary enough, but Primo himself has become something not quite human, his spiky, gray hair is wild and frantic, his runner has plugged directly into his spine by four heavy cables, he clenches his fist over a holographic panel for dueling that sits before him, and his deck holder is built into his right wrist. He has combined himself with his duel runner, like a mechanical centaur.

"He somehow combined with his duel runner!" Yusei says.

"Yes, Yusei! And that's not the limit of my powers!" Says Primo. A blast of light appears around him, and then the curved glass or plexiglas sides of the track they're riding on explode into a thousand sharp shards.

Then Primo notices that Yusei is side-slamming him on his runner, repeatedly.

"Sorry, buddy, but there's no way I'm just gonna stand by while you destroy this city!" Yusei says.

"Come, now. Interfering with my will would be like interfering, with the will of Yliaster!" Says Primo.

"Yliaster?! What are you saying, that you and those goon pals of yours are responsible for how Goodwin and the Dark Signers tried to end the world?!" Skylara asks.

"Oh, Skylara. You and Yusei were each entrusted with a stone tablet of your own, and you just figured that out?" Says Primo.

"Stone tablet?!" Skylara asks.

"Hahahahahaha! I thought fate chose you because you were special, I suppose I was incorrect! Good, now I can crush you without reserve." Says Primo.

"I may not understand the full scope of what's going on, but I know it ends here!" Yusei says.

"Hmph. The only thing that ends here, Yusei, is you and your half-twin sister. My Meklord Emperor will see to that." Says Primo.

 _"As much as I hate to admit it..."_ Yusei thinks to himself.

Flashback. Meklord Emperor Wisel's chest glows in an infinity symbol, beams shoot out of it and wrap around Stardust's limbs, neck, waist and torso, like glowing ropes, dragging Yusei's monster toward it. Stardust roars and fights against them. _"With the power to absorb our synchro monsters, this guy may be right about that."_ Yusei thinks to himself, in voice-over. Stardust Dragon shrieks one final time, and turns into light, getting sucked into Machine Emperor Wisel's chest. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. _"But there's another power at play here, too. The power of speed!"_ Yusei thinks to himself.

Flashback. The huge dragon Yusei encountered earlier, glowing too brightly to be seen, slowly unfurls its wings. _"And if I can harness that power, I may just stand a chance."_ Yusei thinks to himself, in voice-over. It seems to regard Yusei. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "Skylara, you and Yusei take him! I'll take these Ghosts!" Visor says.

"Sounds like a plan!" Says Skylara.

Yusei accelerates and catches up to her and Primo again.

Visor side-skids after, then turns about, and shoots toward the crowd of ghosts like a dart on wheels.

Against blackness, a green-glowing oblong forms, then twists on itself, an infinity symbol. This is what forms around Skylara, Yusei and Primo, it's closer to a figure-eight than the white circles.

"It is my move! First, I shall send Wrecking Ball in my hand to the graveyard, in order to summon Wham-Shell directly to the field!" Skylara says. Wham-Shell has 700 attack points, 1400 defense points, is a level 5 monster and is a water type monster. "And now, since a tuner is already in play. Wrecking Ball, who I banished, returns to the field." Says Skylara. Wrecking Ball has 800 attack points and is a level 2 monster. "Next, I summon out Voodood!" Skylara says. Voodood has 100, attack points, 100 defense points, is a level 1 monster and is a magic type monster. "And now, I shall tune my level-five Wham-Shell, with my level-one Voodood and my level-two Wrecking Ball, to synchro-summon Tempest Magician!" Says Skylara. Tempest Magician has 2200 attack points and is a level 6 monster. "I shall now end my turn with two face downs." Skylara says.

"It's my turn then! First, I'll send the Quillbolt Hedgehog in my hand to the graveyard, so that I can summon Quickdraw Synchron directly out onto the field!" Says Yusei. Quickdraw Synchron has 700 attack points, 1400 defense points, is a level 5 monster and is a wind type monster. "And now since a tuner's already in play, the Quillbolt Hedgehog I banished returns to the field." Yusei says. Quillbolt Hedgehog has 800 attack points and is a level 2 monster. "Next, I summon out Needle Soldier!" Says Yusei. Needle Soldier has 100 attack points, 100 defense points, is a level 1 monster and is an earth type monster. "And now, I tune level-five Quickdraw Synchron, with level-one Needle Soldier and level-two Quillbolt Hedgehog, to synchro-summon Junk Destroyer!" Yusei says. Quickdraw faces a revolving wheel of targets, and shoots a hole right through Junk Synchron, then draws green rings around Needle Soldier and Quillbolt. "Let's rev it up!" Yusei says. Junk Destroyer has 2600 attack points and is a level 8 monster.

"Hahahahahahahaha! You pests, don't you realize your synchros are no match against me? A wasted move, and now you'll pay, and pay most dearly!" Says Primo.

"So sorry, pal, but your turn will have to wait! Because, I'm activating Junk Destroyer's special ability! Since I successfully synchro-summoned, I can now inflict some serious damage to your game by destroying two cards on your side of the field! So, the cards that I'm taking out, are that face down, and Meklord Emperor's body, Wisel Infinity!" Yusei says. Junk Destroyer launches two blasts. _"That Meklord Emperor may have the ability to snatch my synchro monsters. But, if I can act quickly and somehow destroy 'im before the next round, it won't be around to use that ability."_ Yusei thinks to himself.

"Now I play, the trap 'Divergence'! With this, if a machine-type monster on my field is attacked, I can divert that attack to another of my machine-type monsters. And the monster I'm choosing is Wisel Carrier!" Says Primo.

"No!" Yusei says. The path of one of Junk Destroyer's blasts curves off to the side.

"Yes. And due to Wisel Carrier's ability, he's not destroyed." Says Primo.

Yusei anxiously watches the blast fly right past Wisel's legs, missing them entirely. The other is a direct hit on 'Divergence'.

"Not only can I snatch your synchros, but I can outwit them, too!" Primo says.

"Yeah, maybe so. But, you won't be able to out-power them. Just watch! Junk Destroyer, attack Wisel Infinity head-on! Go, Fists of Ferocity!" Says Yusei.

"Imbecile. I'll just use that same ability from before, and divert your assault to Wisel Guard! He can withstand your attack!" Primo says. Junk Destroyer's launched attack strikes Wisel Guard, and when the smoke clears, the Meklord Emperor has no right arm.

"Actually, he can't. Since Needle Soldier was used as synchro material for Junk Destroyer, his attack has an extra sharp sting." Says Yusei.

"How dare you!" Primo says. His lifepoints deplete to 2600. "Rrrgghh!" Primo growls under his breath.

"I now end my turn with two face downs." Says Yusei.

Galaxia, Jakob and Lester are watching on a circular holographic screen in the center of the big blue room.

"What an outrage! Why! Somebody tell me why Yusei Fudo has received a stone tablet!" Lester asks.

Flashback. Yusei and Skylara approach the tablets. They halt a few steps away, looking up at the faces of the tablets. Resolved, Skylara takes the last few steps and touches the surface of the tablet, with the gloved fingertips of one of her hands. Yusei follows his half-twins lead and steps up, touching the surface of his respective tablet, with one of his gloved hands. "We are the chosen ones, not Yusei! He can't handle the power these tablets possess!" Says Lester, in voice-over. A bright light domes out from Skylara's hand, then explodes out. Same thing happens with Yusei. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "It's bad enough he even knows this power exists!" Lester says.

"Cease your mindless droning and observe!" Says Galaxia.

"Hmm?" Lester asks.

"The outcome of this duel will determine if we need to be concerned." Says Jakob.

Primo clenches his fist. "Yusei, that was a lucky move!" Primo says, furiously.

Above, the lighter patches in the cloud cover above, unnaturally move together into one patch, then lightning in a violet shade, just as unnatural, zaps around the edge of this patch.

"But, I'm afraid for you that fate doesn't favor the lucky! No, it favors the bold! And I am nothing, if not bold! Observe!" Says Primo.

Directly above them, a massive bolt of bright violet lightning strikes from the clouds to the track just behind, the impact zone is as wide as the track itself. Similar strikes are hitting the freeways and buildings around. All of New Domino is prey to a storm of massive lightning bolts from the sky, leaving blackouts in every building they hit.

Red Dragon Archfiend smites a Ghost with a blast of fire, even as Jack and Kaz brake and look around. Lightning is raining from the dark clouds, buildings are going dark. "What was that?" Jack asks. "Uhh, this isn't just the weather." Says Kaz.

Another Ghost from Visor's flock of them explodes.

Visor, also, is no longer paying attention to the fight. "Huh? Uh-oh, trouble." Visor says.

The stadium floodlights in the Kaibadome cut out, and the stadium's iconic holographic Sphere evaporates. The entire building is plunged into darkness, and the crowd chatters. "Ohh!" "Why did they turn the lights out?! What's happening?!" "I'm scared!"

The twins, Chibi Chibi and Crow are looking around. "Whoa! Hey, what gives?!" Asks Leo. "Ya got me, Leo." Crow says. He's still holding Chibi Chibi in his arms. "Ahh, I have a bad feeling about this." Says Luna. "Mama… Dada..." Chibi Chibi says, frightened. She buries herself into Crow's chest, tears running down her cheeks. Crow looks down at her, not exactly sure what to do. _"What do I do? She wants her mom and dad, but I don't think its safe to bring her to either one of them. No, it's my job to look out for her right now. After all, I'm her uncle."_ Crow thinks to himself. "It's okay, kiddo. Your Uncle Crow's got ya." Chibi Chibi looks up at Crow, with tears staining her face. Crow smiles down at her. "Don't worry, Uncle Crow's not goin' to let anything happen to ya." Chibi Chibi smiles up at him and hugs him, which surprises him quite a bit. "Uncle Crow!" Says Chibi Chibi, happily. Crow smiles and lightly pats her head.

Out on the track somewhere in New Domino City, runner wheels have left nasty lines of burned rubber on the road. At the end of them, Sherry's runner lies overturned. Ellsworth's runner is more neatly parked nearby, and he kneels over her. "Can you hear me, Sherry? Sherry, you must wake up. Can you hear me?" Ellsworth asks.

Sherry winces, and opens her eyes. "Thank goodness, you're okay." Says Ellsworth. "I'm fine." Sherry says. She pushes herself up on her hands, and then starts to see the lightning. "But, it certainly doesn't seem like New Domino City is." Says Sherry.

On another track, a Security tow-truck cranes another wrecked Ghost and runner onto the pile it's carrying, guided by an officer waving his arms.

Trudge stands nearby, watching lightning strike in the distance, and Minako's leaning over the driver's side window of a patrol car. _"First this Ghost mess, and now the city has lost all power? I have a hunch something big is goin' on."_ Trudge thinks to himself. "Whadda you mean you can't make contact with Bureau Headquarters?" Minako asks. The officer inside the car is jabbing buttons, frantically. "I'm trying, but something's jamming the signal! It won't let me…" The radio handset in the officer's hand spontaneously and violently explodes. Minako gasps and recoils from the window, shocked.

Elsewhere in the streets, wrecked Ghosts are piled several high. Carly is eagerly snapping away with her camera. "Whoa, this is front page stuff! But then, Armageddon usually is..." Says Carly. Her camera explodes in her hands, just as suddenly, and she drops it, with a yelp. It clatters to the ground, steaming. "Oh, you gotta be kidding! Even my camera is kaput?!" Carly asks.

At the Domino Hospital, the next crash of lightning illuminates the room through the sheer curtains on the windows of Akiza's hospital room.

As the lightning fades, she awakens. Akiza sits up, fairly steadily, and looks around, she's wearing a tidy, white jacket, over a pale pink gown, and her power dampener is rolled into her hair, as usual. _"Where am I...? Oh-no-wait. Of course..."_ Akiza thinks to herself.

Flashback. The back wheel of Akiza's runner starts swaying and wobbling, wildly, taking the rest of the runner with it. Her speed is decreasing, sharply, and she goes into a sideways skid, then is catapulted halfway from her seat. _"I remember being on my duel runner..."_ Akiza thinks to herself. She throws a card onto the runner's duel disk, as they both sail through the air. _"Then the wheels locked up, and I was thrown into the air, and..."_ Akiza thinks to herself. Her monster appears ahead of Akiza and her runner, ready to catch them. Then she passes right through it, in a moment of shocked realization. _"Something strange happened."_ Akiza thinks to herself. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. Wide-eyed, Akiza stares at the palm of her own hand. _"I no longer feel my power is with me..."_ Akiza thinks to herself. As she stares at her hand, puzzled, lightning crashes outside the windows again. She gets out of bed and walks to the window, pulling aside the curtain, then gasps, as she sees the stormy cityscape. "Huhh! What's going on?" Asks Akiza.

The patches of light in the storm clouds shooting down concentrated streams of lightning almost look like a swarm of UFO's attacking the city. Some strike then move, but one thick stream of power is a nonstop column that moves slowly across the skyline, following a distant runner track.

"Dear me!" Akiza says.

Primo is in his element, with lightning crashing through the benighted sky at his back. He draws from his deck. "It's my draw! First, I summon forth, Wisel Guard Three! In defense mode!" Says Primo. Wisel Guard 3 has 0 attack points, 2000 defense points, is a level 3 monster and is an earth type monster. The replacement arm, more powerful than the last, unfolds itself and electromagnetizes to Wisel's empty shoulder. "And now that he's whole again, my Meklord Emperor Wisel will use its special ability and absorb your treasured synchro monsters! Go, Synchro Absorption!" Primo says. He turns and drifts backward to direct the attack. Wisel turns, and the void within its chest starts to glow, then reaches out tendrils of green light to bind Junk Destroyer's arms and legs, and does the same with Tempest Magician, pulling them in like a spider ensnares a fly.

"I play a trap, 'Star Shift'. Now, I can return two synchro monsters on our field to our decks, and summon two different synchros." Says Skylara.

"What?" Primo asks. Junk Destroyer glows then vanishes, leaving Wisel's tendrils to grasp at nothing but its eight stars, as they float higher into the air.

"Now! Take flight, Stardust Dragon!" Says Yusei. His dragon appears in a blaze of shimmery silver glory. Stardust Dragon has 2500 attack points and is a level 8 monster.

Tempest Magician shadows in darkness, then vanishes. "Cynder the Black Dragon, come on out and aid Stardust!" Skylara says. Her dragon appears in a shadow of darkness. Cynder the Black Dragon has 2900 attack points and is a level 8 monster.

"Clever. It seems our two monsters, Yusei. Now have the exact same attack points." Says Primo. He turns around to ride forward again, slapping down a face down. "I place one card facedown and end my turn! However, Skylara. The peril you're in is just starting. Play whatever monster you wish, it makes no difference. Face it, there's nothing you or your half-twin brother can do." Primo says.

"You are wrong, there is one thing that Yusei and I can both do! And once it is done, you are going to be done, as well!" Says Skylara.

Back at the hospital, Akiza is one of several people standing at the windows in the hallway, watching the cataclysm unfold outside. She shares a window with a tiny girl, with braided, brunette pigtails and bright orange jammies, who only stands as high as her waist, and standing beside the little girl is a petite, pale-skinned girl, with short, black hair and violet eyes. She appears to be fifteen and her height seems to be 4'10". She's wearing a black, turtleneck sweater, gray skirt and black tights. Akiza places a hand to her own arm, with a gasp, as her Sign begins to glow through the sleeve, then looks out the window again at the patches of concentrated lightning pouring from the heavens. The thickest stream is still moving steadily across the horizon, while others flash and vanish around it. _"Yusei! Skylara! You're in the middle of this, I can feel it."_ Akiza thinks to herself. A blast of lightning hits right outside the window, and the little girl falls to her knees, scattering cards around her, hands over her ears, crying out, in fear. Among the cards scattered are Dancing Fairy, The Unhappy Maiden, 'Mirror Force', 'Magical Mallet', 'Scapegoat' and Spirit of the Breeze.

A couple of guys in blue PJ's further along the window are staring.

The girl next to her kneels down to one knee beside her and holds at her shoulders, holding her close to her chest. Akiza kneels to pat the frightened child's head. "Now, now, don't be scared." Akiza says. She notices the cards on the floor and picks one up. "You're a duelist, aren't you?" Asks Akiza. The little girl looks over her shoulder up at her, and nods, gravely. Her eyes are coppery brown, and her glasses are shaped like beans. "Mm-hmm. I'm Haluna. I just started out dueling, but I'm pretty good. You wanna have a match?" "Mmm-hmm." Akiza says. She then faces the other girl, holding Haluna close to her. Akiza gasps, seeing a close resemblance to both Skylara and Yusei. "What, you look as if you've seen a ghost?" "Sorry, you just remind me of a couple people I know. What's your name?" Asks Akiza. "I'm Hotaru Tomoe. Who are you?" "I'm Akiza Izinski. It's nice to meet you, Hotaru." Akiza says. Hotaru stands up, looking straight into her eyes, arms folded over her chest. "I thought you looked familiar, Akiza. Or should I prefer to you as Black Rose?" Asks Hotaru. "Huh? Are you saying that you know who I am? You don't sound very happy to see me." Akiza says. Hotaru looks out the window, watching the storm. "It's not you I have a problem with. Your good friends with two people I despise." Hotaru says. "Who?" Asks Akiza. "Why should I tell you? It has nothing to do with you." Hotaru says. Akiza stands up, and they look out at the storm beyond the windows once more.

"It's my draw! I summon Reptilianne Viper in defense mode!" Says Skylara. Reptilianne Viper has 0 attack points, 0 defense points, is a level 2 monster and is a dark type monster. "Next, I shall play my trap 'Dark Awakening'! Now by removing a monster on my field from play, you take damage equal to that monster's level multiplied by a hundred." Skylara says.

"Hm!" Says Primo.

"And the monster that I choose to remove from play, is Cynder the Black Dragon." Skylara says. Cynder disappears, leaving her eight stars suspended in the air where it was.

These strike Primo with a volley of explosions, and bring his lifepoints down to 1900. "Hnh!" Says Primo.

"Now, during the standby phase of my next turn. My mighty Cynder the Black Dragon returns to the field, and her attack points increase by eight hundred. I now end my turn with a face down card." Skylara says.

"My move then! I summon Bicular in defense mode! Hah!" Says Yusei. Bicular has 200 attack points, 200 defense points, is a level 2 monster and is an earth type monster. "Next, I play the trap 'Emerging Awakening'! It has the same affect as Skylara's trap, only the difference is, mine can do any damage if you already received lifepoint damage. The monster that I'm removing from play, is Stardust Dragon." Yusei says. Stardust disappears, leaving its eight stars suspended in the air where it was. "Now, during the standby phase of my next turn. My mighty Stardust Dragon, returns to the field and his attack points increase by eight hundred. I end my turn with a face down card." Says Yusei.

 _"The stage is almost set for my Accel Synchro and Yusei's Accel Synchro. Then, everything changes."_ Skylara thinks to herself. She twists her accelerator grip and speeds forward, passing Primo to ride ahead of him.

Yusei follows after Skylara, leaving some space between their runners.

"Hnh. You insolent pests, how dare you pass me! You'll pay! Right now! First, I activate the trap known as 'Explosive Blast'! Now, by destroying one machine-type monster on my field that hasn't battled, you'll both be taking four hundred points of damage! I destroy Wisel Carrier." Primo says.

"What?!" Asks both Skylara and Yusei. Meklord Emperor Wisel hovers over them both, then its legs explode.

"Huhh!" Yusei says.

"Unh..." Says Skylara.

When the smoke clears, they're both down to 3600 lifepoints.

"I warned you that you'd pay, and there's more to come. Next, I summon Skiel Carrier Three!" Primo says. Skiel Carrier 3 has 600 attack points, 200 defense points, is a level 3 monster and is a wind type monster.

"Skiel Carrier?" Asks Yusei.

Meklord Emperor Skiel's skeletal wings appear, reshape themselves a bit, and attach to Wisel as a new pair of glider-shaped legs, increasing its attack points to 2300.

"Not good. Skiel is a Meklord Emperor part that Leo and Luna battled against." Skylara says.

Flashback. Lester's monster is a blue steel terror, with an elongated head, framework wings and a metallic, segmented tail, that suggest the form of a bird or dragon. "And had some serious trouble with." Says Skylara, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

Lester, Jakob and Galaxia have a good view of Primo's Meklord Emperor from their thrones.

"Skiel?! Hold on!" Lester says. He pulls out his deck and fans its cards, looking them over. "I knew it! That's my card, Primo swiped it!" Says Lester.

"Now, I'll release Skiel Carrier Three! So that I can summon an even more powerful card!" Primo says.

 _"Oh, no!"_ Yusei thinks to himself.

"Appear, Skiel Carrier Five! And give Meklord Emperor even more heavy metal!" Says Primo. Wisel's legs dematerialize, and then a new machine piece appears, trailing fiber-optic sort of tentacles. It retracts these, then splits in half and attaches to the bottom of Wisel's waist. It now has legs that are two wide blades, like the wings of a jet plane, and it also has 2500 attack points. It's glowing with ominous purple mist around the edges, and if anything, its 'face' looks even meaner than usual.

Skylara watches it over her shoulder. _"Skiel and Wisel? That is two different Meklord Emperor types combined! I wonder if that means they have twice the power? I guess, only time will tell."_ Skylara thinks to herself.

The clouds above charge up again and smite the track behind the duel, with a bolt so powerful it turns everything purple for a moment, it doesn't go away.

 _"Alright, I would say that is a 'yes'."_ Skylara thinks to herself.

Visor is watching the dark, empty track ahead of him, when the ground shakes, and he and his runner are thrown off-balance. He swerves across the road, wildly, then regains control. _"Ugh, whoa, what was that?! It's like the earth itself is trying to shake us off!"_ Visor thinks to himself.

Yusei swerves and regains his balance also.

Primo doesn't seem to have any trouble.

 _"Oh, no."_ Yusei thinks to himself.

"Now, Meklord Emperor Wisel! Attack Bicular and Reptilianne Viper!" Primo says. Wisel slashes at Bicular and Reptilianne Viper, and destroys them. "And don't forget Skiel's ability! When it destroys a monster in battle, you take three hundred points of damage!" Says Primo.

With a small explosion, both Skylara and Yusei's lifepoints fall to 3300.

"Ughh! But, don't you forget that since Bicular is destroyed, I can now summon Unicycular in defense mode!" Yusei says. Unicycular has 100 defense points and is a level 1 monster.

"And I can summon Double Trouble in defense mode!" Says Skylara. Double Trouble has 100 defense points and is a level 1 monster.

"I now end my turn with a face down!" Primo says. Wisel floats forward to loom over Skylara.

Skylara speeds up.

"Do you feel the dark shadow of doom closing in all around you, Skylara? It's a shadow cast by my Meklord Emperor!" Primo says.

Skylara speeds up more. "Well then, let's see if it can keep up! Because due to my 'Dark Awakening' and Yusei's 'Emerging Awakening', Cynder the Black Dragon and Stardust Dragon are now both back on the field and stronger than ever!" Says Skylara.

Cynder and Stardust fly out of a void in the sky, shrieking and roaring, in triumph. Cynder's attack points rise to 3900, while Stardust's rise to 3300.

Primo glances over his shoulder, and realizes that Visor has caught up within sight of the duel again. _"_

 _All right! Skylara and Yusei are goin' for it!"_ Visor thinks to himself.

"Get ready. Because the next synchros we summon, are going to be accelerated." Skylara says.

"What on earth are you talking about, Skylara! If anything's accelerated, it's simply the rate of speed at which you're racing toward your complete and utter defeat!" Says Primo.

"I'm afraid not! I summon Ignitor!" Skylara says. Ignitor has 100 attack points and is a level 1 monster.

"And I summon Turbo Synchron!" Says Yusei. Turbo Synchron has 100 attack points and is a level 1 monster.

"Now, level-one Ignitor and Double Trouble, combine!" Skylara says.

"Level-one Turbo Synchron and Unicycular, tune!" Says Yusei.

"Behold, as both power and speed surge towards each other and collide to create pure might!" Says both Yusei and Skylara, in perfect unison.

Double Trouble flies through the single ring created by Ignitor, and its one star aligns. "I summon out, Swap Frog!" Skylara says. Swap Frog has 1000 attack points and 500 defense points.

Unicycular floats through the one ring created by Turbo Synchron, and its one star aligns. "I summon out, the synchro tuner Formula Synchron!" Says Yusei.

Formula Synchron is a light-attribute machine-type monster, with two hundred attack points and fifteen-hundred defense points.

"Due to this synchron's ability, I can draw an extra card from my deck once per turn!" Yusei says. He draws, and speeds up to catch up with Skylara into a world of bold fuchsia light and bright streaks of energy. Sparks strain against the tip of Skylara's runner's nose, and fire explodes from Yusei's rear exhaust pipes.

Primo's light up, too, and he's keeping up. "Huhuhahahahaha, hahahahahahaha!" Primo laughs. Behind him, the column of lightning following the duel annihilates the sides of the track and scatters onto the buildings adjacent.

Another column of lightning connects the sky to the roof of the Kaibadome, lighting it up like a luminescent jewel.

At the hospital, another lightning bolt sears the sky right outside the window. Haluna is cowering on the floor, with her hands over her ears, wailing with fear. "Aaaa-aaaahhh!" Hotaru shows no fear at all. Akiza crouches down and spreads her arms, offering a hug. Haluna clings to her waist and buries her face in her shirt. "Hey, it's okay. Everything's gonna be all right. My friends're out there, and they're going to protect us." Says Akiza. She looks out the window. _"I hope."_ Akiza thinks to herself.

Skylara, Yusei and Primo are racing through a world of bright purple light streaked with white streams of energy.

"You fools! Don't you realize that the power of the synchro-summoning you're trying to initiate, is far too great for pests like you to yield, just like Zero Reverse was too great for your father, Yusei!" Primo says.

"Aahh!" Says Yusei.

Flashback. A light from the ominous, swirling clouds above casts a shining beam of light on the needle that towers over the City, and the destruction explodes outward from that point in a blinding wall of light, ripping to shreds everything in its path, instantly. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. Yusei fights the fear, shaking his head to dispel the memory.

The nose of Skylara's runner is still blazing against the wind.

"No! I'm afraid this is different! And because it is, I'm now tuning Formula Synchron with Stardust Dragon!" Yusei says.

"And I'm tuning Swap Frog with Cynder the Black Dragon!" Says Skylara. The nose of her runner is blazing like a shooting star, illuminating her face with dark purple and dark blue light.

Yusei's face is lit with orange and yellow.

"Let the spirit of all duel monsters now spread its wings and soar to new heights, where it can be transformed by the winds of destiny!" Skylara and Yusei both say, in perfect unison.

Skylara is traveling down a dark red path, and Cynder the Black Dragon is sinisterly dimming, with dark colors.

Yusei is going down a bright green path, and Stardust Dragon is shooting off multicolored lights, like a draconic firework.

They speed up more, the air beginning to turn red around Yusei and starry night black around Skylara.

"Where it can become all-powerful!" Says both Skylara and Yusei, in perfect unison.

"I'm warning you for the last time! Cease this madness or you'll both destroy all that you're seeking to protect!" Primo says.

Both Skylara and Yusei's eyes go wide. That makes them pause, and their faces both betray fear. They squeeze their eyes closed and fight to plunge onward. "Go, Accel Synchro!" Both half-twins say, in perfect unison.

Stardust is glowing with magenta light and Cynder is glowing with dark red, then the lights shatter, and Formula Synchron and Swap Frog re-form out of shards.

The air around is back to normal, and Skylara and Yusei still have two un-tuned monsters on the field.

"What?!" Asks Yusei.

Visor looks stunned. "Yusei's Accel Synchro, it didn't work! Skylara's didn't either!" Visor says.

"Hahahahahahahaha! Looks like I was worrying for no reason! Hmph! What a bust!" Says Primo.

Yusei looks down at his dashboard, stunned and horrified.

Skylara does the same, frustrated and staggered. _"Why?! Why did Accel Synchro fail us?!"_ Skylara thinks to herself.

"Don't blame yourself, Skylara! Fate simply stepped in! Clearly the 'Powers That Be' realized something, that you weren't worthy of such might! Now then, time to finish this!" Primo says.

Lightning bolts from the heavens crackle randomly, striking buildings rapidfire and shutting down their lights, causing explosions, shattering the facades of Domino's skyscrapers.

Skylara's eyes suddenly shift to red and the small portion of her raven black, red gradated hair, that's been tied back, becomes free of its restraint, having the remainder of her hair flow loose behind her, along with the rest of her long, wavy tresses. "No! Stop it! I won't let you do this! I won't let you destroy my city! Cynder the Black Dragon, attack!" Says Skylara, her voice slightly menacing and echoic.

"I don't think so, Skylara! Due to Skiel Carrier Five's ability, I can stop your dragon's blast!" Primo says.

"No!" Says Skylara.

Skiel Carrier 5's jet wings eject Cynder's shadowy mist out the backs of their engines.

"We end our turn." Skylara says.

"I draw! I play, Emperor Wisel's ability. An ability that allows me to snatch one synchro monster off your field once per turn! And the synchro monster I'm snatching is Cynder the Black Dragon." Says Primo.

Wisel's glowing tendrils wrap around Cynder's every limb and her waist, dragging her in. Cynder fights, then folds, and is drawn into Wisel's chest. It raises its left arm, and a ghostly dragon materializes around its sword, it now wields the power of Cynder, making it 5000 attack points strong. "You took your shot, Skylara! But, it was struck down by forces from above! And now, you're the one who will be struck down, Skylara! Struck down by me! Huhahahahahahahaha!" Primo says.

Skylara rides on, with Yusei following close behind her, pursued by Primo and his Meklord Emperor, with wings for legs and the ghost of Cynder swirling around its fist.


	17. Chapter 17

_Chapter 17: Primo's Plan: Part 4_

Spires of purple lightning are crackling between sky and city all over New Domino. Chunks have been ripped out of the sides of buildings and debris clutters the streets, and a lone streetlight flickers in the distance amidst lightning and rubble.

Skylara and her Swap Frog ride ahead.

Yusei, his Formula Synchron and his Stardust Dragon are following closely behind her.

While Primo and the looming, shadowed monstrosity that is his Meklord Emperor pursue them. It towers over the field, face glowing red in the darkness, the power of Cynder the Black Dragon flaming around its left arm and blade, legs spread out to the sides, wide, flat, and triangular. Meklord Emperor Wisel is looking more and more like some sort of wicked spaceship.

 _"With my Cynder the Black Dragon snatched away and absorbed by that heavy-metal monster, how can I possibly stage a comeback? How can I possibly stop that guy?"_ Skylara thinks to herself.

"Hmhmhmhm, thank you, Skylara. With your ultimate monster now in my possession, Meklord Emperor Wisel has five thousand attack points. Which is plenty to wipe you off the field!" Primo says.

 _"Why? Why couldn't Yusei or myself Accel Synchro before?"_ Skylara thinks to herself.

Flashback. Skylara is traveling down a dark red path, and Cynder the Black Dragon is sinisterly dimming with colors.

Yusei is traveling down a bright green path, and Stardust Dragon is shooting off multicolored lights, like a draconic firework.

They speed up more, the air beginning to turn red around Yusei and starry night black around Skylara. "Accel Synchro!" Says both Yusei and Skylara, in perfect unison. Stardust is glowing with magenta light and Cynder is glowing with dark red light, then the light shatters, and Formula Synchron and Swap Frog re-form out of shards. The air around is back to normal, Skylara and Yusei still has two un-tuned monsters on the field.

"What?!" Yusei asks. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. _"That would have made the difference! That would have won this duel for us all!"_ Skylara thinks to herself. She punches the dashboard, hunched over, despairing.

 _"All this guy's mind games, they're confusing Skylara! Could that be why she's struggling? And then Yusei's probably concerned for her well-being and her injury to her side! And that could be why he's struggling!"_ Visor thinks to herself.

Flashback. They speed up more, the air beginning to turn red around Yusei and starry night black around Skylara. Then Skylara and Yusei's eyes go wide at Primo's words, and their faces both betray fear. _"Could that be why their attempts at Accel Synchro-ing failed?"_ Visor thinks to himself, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "Heheheheheheheheh. Face it, Skylara! There's only one thing left for you to do in this duel, and that's fall onto your knees and perish!" Says Primo. The void in Wisel's chest glows the same purple as the lightning, and streams of purple charge rise up around it. The air around Wisel shines brighter and brighter, and explodes into a vertical column of purple light.

Visor strains, forced back against his seat by the force of the energy ahead. "Rrrrgghh!" Visor growls under his breath.

The single, huge column of light blazes against the dark cityscape, and can be seen from the Kaibadome.

Dexter, Bob, Sly, Patty and Stephanie the waitress watch from their seats, anxiously.

Crow, Chibi Chibi, who's sitting on his lap, and the twins look up at it from down near the pit booths.

At the hospital, Akiza sits on the floor under the window, letting Haluna cling to her and comforting her, while Hotaru just stands near them, watching the storm. Both Akiza and Haluna look up and out the window, worried. _"Skylara. Yusei."_ Akiza thinks to herself. Haluna whimpers, nervously. Akiza pats her hair. "It'll be all right." Akiza says. She turns her gaze towards Hotaru once again, still feeling as if she resembles some of Skylara and a little of Yusei in her facial features. _"Why do I have a feeling that Hotaru is somehow related to Skylara and Yusei? Could Hotaru be their younger sister? But if that was the case, wouldn't she have lived with them? Unless, she's their half-sister. So, does that mean Skylara and Yusei's mom escaped in time before Zero Reverse happened? If so, could Skylara and Yusei's mom still be alive? But, Skylara and Yusei would've at least mentioned if they had another sibling. Unless, of course, no one told them."_ Akiza thinks to herself. "Uh, Hotaru?" Asks Akiza. Hotaru glances over at her. "What do you want?" Hotaru asks. "Um, if you don't mind me asking. Where's your mom?" Asks Akiza. "At home, obviously." Hotaru says. She turns her attention back to the storm.

Trudge, Minako and five other Security officers are watching the blaze from across the city.

Sherry and Ellsworth watch it from a runner track somewhere, still sitting on the ground.

Carly rolls down the window of her little yellow car, watching the sky, with a gasp.

Jack and Kaz roll to a halt and watch the column of light blaze from a nearby freeway, walking to the edge. "What's that beam of light?" Asks Jack. "I dunno, but it sure doesn't look good." Kaz says. Jack winces and grabs his own right arm. "What is it, Jack?" Asks Kaz. _"Skylara."_ Jack thinks to himself, concerned.

At the Kaibadome, Luna and Crow start moaning and holding their arms, too. "Luna, you okay?! Crow, what's wrong?!" Leo asks. "My mark, it's feeling Skylara's torment. She must really be in some serious trouble, not to mention some serious pain." Says Crow.

Akiza is also cradling her right arm. "Ugh..." Akiza says. "Are you okay, Akiza?" Asks Haluna. "Yeah. It's nothing at all, really." Akiza says, shakily. She looks out the window again. _"If our marks are being affected, things must be even more dire than I thought. Stay strong, Skylara. Same to you, Yusei."_ Akiza thinks to herself.

Skylara's Sign, along with the additional markings, symbolic designs, Seal of the Crimson Dragon, eyes and red gradation portion of her hair, are all flaring and fading, in rhythm with her own labored breath.

Behind her, Yusei's mark is doing the same as the others. _"Sis."_ Yusei thinks to himself, worriedly.

Behind them, Wisel is still shining like a bright purple beacon. "Hmhmhm. Take a long, hard look, pests! This is your fate! And without Cynder the Black Dragon to protect you, it is a fate that is sealed. Farewell, Skylara! Doom is at hand! And it will be dealt, just as soon as I play this next card! I activate the trap 'Wise A-Three'! Now, by sending the Wisel Attack on my field to the graveyard, I can summon Wisel Attack Three from my hand!" Says Primo. Wisel's attack points decrease to 3800 with the destruction of Wisel Attack. The new sword arm attaches to Wisel's left shoulder, and its sword blazes with Cynder's power again. Now Wisel has 5400 attack points.

"Oh man, fifty-four-hundred points!" Says Yusei.

"And there's more, Yusei! Due to Wisel Attack Three's ability, when Meklord Emperor Wisel attacks a monster in defense mode, that attack is power-packed!" Primo says.

"What?" Asks Yusei.

"So since your Formula Synchron has fifteen-hundred defense points, and you have thirty-three-hundred lifepoints! By dealing you a whopping fifty-four-hundred power-packed points of damage, your lifepoints are toast! Now, Meklord Emperor! Let 'im have it!" Primo says.

"I play the trap 'D-Two Shield'. Now, the defense points of my monster are doubled until this turn's end phase." Says Yusei. A thin golden spiral of light swirls around the card, then around Formula Synchron. Its defense points rise to 3000. Wisel attacks, its blast a ghost of Cynder. It strikes through Formula Synchron and continues on its path, roaring toward Yusei, who looks back just in time for it to hit. The blow shoves him forward in a half-diagonal skid, and he wobbles a bit, as he rights his balance. Yusei is down to 900 lifepoints, but he survived the attack.

"Hm! Very good, Yusei. You managed to protect a tiny scrap of your lifepoints. But, how will you protect them against Skiel Carrier Five! Since your monster was destroyed in battle, his ability deals you three hundred points of damage!" Primo says.

Skiel Carrier 5 seems to form two huge green wings out of light, and then with one mighty downbeat they blast Yusei down to 600 lifepoints. "Gggghh. I activate 'D-Two Shield's' effect. Now, because you destroyed my monster, I'm allowed to draw one card from my deck." Says Yusei.

"Hahahahahahahaha. Your brother is grasping at straws, Skylara! He can't protect both himself and you! But, I must admit, it's fun to watch you both squirm." Primo says.

 _"I have to make a move, or else!"_ Skylara thinks to herself.

"Hm! Why don't you just do yourself a favor?" Asks Primo.

"Hm?" Skylara asks.

"Simply accept your defeat! Accept that the world you once knew is gone and never coming back. Accept that you're just a bee who has lost its stinger." Says Primo.

"A bee?" Skylara asks.

Galaxia, Jakob and Lester are watching the duel in the big blue room.

"Hmhmhmhmhmhmhm. She still has no idea." Says Jakob.

"Heheheheheheheheh." Lester laughs.

"Think about it, Skylara. A bee can be dangerous, for a time." Primo says, via screen.

"Yes, so what?" Asks Skylara.

"So, you were, too. You played every move you could." Primo says.

Vision. A bee wanders around the center of a honeycomb, while other bees stand around it. "You tried to sting me just like a bee. But, you missed. And what happens to a bee after it misses and loses its stinger?" Asks Primo, in voice-over. The path created by the wandering bee forms a figure-eight, an infinity symbol. "It wanders aimlessly until it wanders no more, leaving just the barren and empty trace of its path!" Primo says, in voice-over. The vision ends.

Back to the present. "No. I'm still in this, and so is Yusei." Says Skylara.

"I'm sure the bee thought the same thing! After all, it's in its heart to fight just as it's in yours. But, the laws of nature cannot be overruled! Now then, I end my turn. So go ahead, and wander some more, Skylara." Primo says.

"You are wrong. I'm not wandering around, and soon, I'm going to prove it!" Says Skylara. _"Only, I won't be proving it this turn. Not with these cards. I have to do something."_ Skylara thinks to herself. "First, I remove seven speed counters, so that now, I can draw one additional card! Next, I summon back to the field in defense mode, Reptilianne Viper." Skylara says. Reptilianne Viper has 0 defense points and is a level 2 monster. "I then end my turn with a face down." Says Skylara.

"My turn! I drop seven speed counters, so now I can draw one additional card! Then, I'll summon Necro Linker to the field in defense mode." Yusei says. Necro Linker has 0 defense points and is a level 2 monster. "I then place one card face down and end my turn." Says Yusei.

"Hm! Really, Skylara? That's the best that you can do? After all your talk and bluster about still being in this?" Primo asks.

Skylara looks over her shoulder up at Wisel, and sees Cynder the Black Dragon within it. _"I am still in this, I just have to figure out a way to take that Meklord Emperor down! Which means, I'm going to have to figure out a way to get my Cynder the Black Dragon back."_ Skylara thinks to herself.

"It's my turn now! First, I play the trap 'Wise T-Three'. Now, by sending the Wisel Top on my field to the graveyard…" Says Primo. Wisel's head abruptly disappears and its points diminish to 4900. "I'm allowed to summon Wisel Top Three from my hand!" Primo says. Wisel Top 3 comes with its own little legs, and resembles perhaps a white, plasticky hedgehog, with a glowing red face. Then its legs snap into its body and it lowers itself onto Wisel's shoulders. This head for Wisel has less of a neck, and gives it 5500 attack points now.

"So, it is even stronger now?" Asks Skylara.

"That's right, it's stronger! Now watch, as all that strength is put to use! Meklord Emperor Wisel, attack Reptilianne Viper!" Primo says. Wisel speeds toward Skylara and her monster.

"I play the trap, 'Demon Play, Demon Out'! And now that I have, the attack you declared is negated. So, my Viper is safe." Says Skylara.

"Wrong. For you see, Meklord Emperor has a new power. A power that you can thank Wisel Top Three for! Now, once per turn, I can negate the activation of one of your spell or trap cards. So, your 'Demon Play, Demon Out' is scrapped." Primo says.

"No!" Says Skylara. Wisel shears 'Demon Play, Demon Out' cleanly in half, with a laser from its eyes.

"Now perhaps, you finally realize the truth in what I've been telling you. This duel's over and with its end, so ends you and all that you fought for!" Primo says. Wisel dives in, rear rockets blazing, striking for Reptilianne Viper, with a blade flaming with Cynder's power.

"Hm! Not so fast. You see, when a card on my field is destroyed. By sending Prism Break from my hand to the graveyard, I can end this turn's battle phase." Says Skylara.

The blade stops short of Reptilianne Viper. "What? Fine, I'll just finish you off next round. I end my turn." Primo says.

Skylara glances over at Yusei and mutters to him. "This is it, Yusei. Unless we can make a big move right here and now, this duel is over and all shall be lost. We will just have to believe in our decks and hope that they, believe in us." Says Skylara, aside to Yusei.

Yusei nods, in agreement. "Hm." Yusei says.

Skylara's hand is on her deck, ready to draw.

Meklord Emperor Wisel, jet engines blazing from Skiel Carrier 5, dominates the track.

Skylara sighs, and prepares to draw. "My draw! I summon Tuned Magician!" Says Skylara. Tuned Magician has 1800 attack points, is a level 4 monster and is a wind type monster. "Now go! Attack Meklord Emperor Wisel with all your might!" Skylara says.

"You fool, Tuned Magician is no match for Meklord Emperor." Says Primo.

"Maybe not. However, when she attacks, any battle damage dealt to me becomes zero." Skylara says.

Tuned Magician shatters against Wisel's chest. "Hmph! That may well be, but you still must deal with the special ability of Skiel Carrier Five! So, since I destroyed a monster in battle, you now take three hundred points of damage!" Says Primo.

Skiel Carrier 5 forms another pair of ghostly green wings, and with their downbeat, Skylara's hit with a wave of wind and her lifepoints are decreased to 300. "Ugh. That is true. However, Tuned Magician has an ability, as well. And since she was taken down, it now activates…" Skylara says. A ghostly form of Tuned Magician reappears on the field, and dives right into the void in Wisel's chest. "Letting me regain control of any one monster of mine that is on your side of the field." Says Skylara.

"No!" Primo says.

"So much for me being the wandering bee that lost its stinger! Because with this monster back, I'm back, as well! And more dangerous than ever! Cynder the Black Dragon, come home!" Says Skylara.

A pair of red eyes glow against the bright white of the void in Wisel's chest as it reopens.

Cynder bursts out of the light and soars onto the field above, then ahead of Skylara. It spirals into the air and shrieks, triumphantly. Skylara spares a grin over her shoulder for the return of her favorite monster. "Welcome back to team 'good guys', Cynder! And because Cynder the Black Dragon has switched teams, Meklord Emperor's attack points now decrease!" Skylara says.

Wisel's new attack point total is 3000. "Ggghh!" Primo growls under his breath.

"Next, I activate my Viper's ability! Now by releasing Viper, I can summon back one tuner monster from my graveyard and Yusei's graveyard. And the tuner monsters that I select are, Swap Frog and Formula Synchron! And thanks to Frog's ability, I now get to draw one card. However, there is one drawback. The monster I summoned using Viper, can't be synchro material. At least, for now. And with that, I end my turn." Says Skylara.

"Huh. So even after getting Cynder back, you still couldn't mount an attack!" Primo says.

 _"Maybe not yet I haven't, but at least now I have what I need to initiate an Accel Synchro and so does Yusei. Or do we? Last time we thought we were ready to go, as well. But, something went wrong. However, this time we simply can't fail. Because if we do, we will have failed, not just ourselves, but the whole city."_ Skylara thinks to herself. "Everyone is depending on us, Cynder!" Says Skylara. Cynder shrieks to the sky, in response.

"Us too, Stardust!" Yusei says. Stardust roars to the sky, in response.

"Please! You're both all bark and no bite! Now, my Meklord Emperor is quite a different story!" Says Primo.

Wisel blasts a wave of purple around itself, then forms a swirling vortex of wind that Skylara and Yusei can feel from up ahead. It blows them off balance, skidding and wobbling to the side.

"Whoa! Better hang on! Uuuaaaggghhh!" Yusei says.

"Now, it's my turn! And if you think that last blast was powerful, just you wait to see what I have planned next!" Says Primo.

"Bring it! Because destiny isn't on your side, it is on mine and Yusei's!" Skylara says.

"Yeah!" Says Yusei.

"Ha! Sorry, Skylara! But, I'm afraid that's simply not the way it works! Destiny doesn't go around picking sides, destiny's what's meant to be, and you're meant to keep powering the Circuit!" Primo says.

"Circuit?" Asks Skylara.

"Oh, never mind about that! All that matters is that you keep wandering, little bee! After all, you may not be able to win this duel, but you're not yet entirely useless!" Primo says.

"I don't know what you are talking about! However, you are right about one thing! I'm not useless, and neither are the people that you are trying to hurt! And as long as this duel keeps going, I shall keep going, as well! And so will all that support me!" Says Skylara.

"What support? You have a mighty stone tablet that won't even come to you or Yusei's aid, Skylara. If you're looking for something to rely on, then simply look into the past, because history repeats itself!" Primo says.

"Hmm." Says Skylara.

Flashback. A light from the ominous, swirling clouds above casts a shining beam of light on the needle that towers over the City, and the destruction explodes outward from that point in a blinding wall of light, ripping to shreds everything in its path, instantly. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "And just as your step-father once destroyed this city, now with Cynder the Black Dragon and Stardust Dragon, you and Yusei will, too! Because no matter how many times you get Cynder or Stardust back, so long as my turn comes, your synchro monsters will be snatched, and become mine once again!" Primo says. Wisel's chest glows with its infinity symbol, and shoots glowing tentacles straight for Cynder the Black Dragon.

Cynder the Black Dragon swoops ahead of Wisel and spirals up into the sky, showering shadows of darkness from its wings. "You are not getting Cynder this time." Says Skylara. Her hand shifts on the right-side grip, speeding up.

Flashback. A light from the ominous, swirling clouds above casts a shining beam of light on the needle that towers over the City and the destruction explodes outward from that point in a blinding wall of light, ripping to shreds everything in its path instantly. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "True, my step-father's work once destroyed this city! However, the past is past and that was an accident, one that won't be repeated!" Skylara says.

The edges of her and Yusei's runners are starting to blur from the passage of the wind, the air is streaming past them in streaks of bright violet light. Then their right arms start glowing.

"Hm?" Asks Skylara. She looks down, the mark of the dragon's head is shining through her glove and sleeve.

Primo looks confident, until he sees that red glow. "Heh. Huh?" Primo asks.

Yusei looks down at his arm and shows a little smile, he has confidence in Skylara, as always.

Jack looks down at his arm as it starts to shine, and smiles. "Go get 'em, love!" Says Jack.

Crow's arm also starts glowing, as he stands amid shards of broken glass back at the Kaibadome, holding Chibi Chibi in his left arm. "Ha, it's Skylara! She's still in it!" Crow says. "Mama!" Says Chibi Chibi. "That's right, kiddo. Your mom's got this." Crow says. Chibi Chibi smiles up at him. "Chibi!" Says Chibi Chibi, happily. The twins watch Luna's arm light up, eagerly. "Go, Skylara!" Leo and Luna both say.

Also near shards of broken glass somewhere at the hospital, Akiza sees her Sign begin to glow, and smiles, mistily, clasping her hands over her chest. _"Skylara."_ Akiza thinks to herself.

The additional markings and symbolic designs etched into Skylara's body are all lit up, the Seal of the Crimson Dragon and red gradation portion of her hair are glowing, as well. _"Yes! I feel the strength of my friends and my brother. They are right here with me, lending me their power."_ Skylara thinks to herself. She opens her flaring, crimson red eyes.

Skylara and Yusei then plunge forward into a world of streaming purple and white lights, then blue, then nothing.

Yusei drifts through a blue and white void, wrapped in white mist from the neck down. _"This acceleration! It's not just coming from our duel runners, but from inside us, too!"_ Yusei thinks to himself. He blearily opens his eyes, and ahead of him is a single card. _"It's like I'm moving toward something, at light speed! And something is moving towards me, too! Shooting Star Dragon?!"_ Yusei thinks to himself.

Behind him, Skylara is standing there, wrapped in glowing, dark red ribbons, only they don't seem to be wrapped very tightly and securely, since they only seem to be covering over her breasts and her pelvic area, while the rest just dangles from her body. Most of her is pretty bare, except for her pelvic area and breasts.

Yusei turns to face her, still wrapped in white mist, more covered up than what she is.

Skylara isn't looking to well, she doesn't seem to be very conscious, either.

Yusei has the look of concern in his eyes and face. "Skylara." Says Yusei.

Beside Skylara is a single card. _"Galextra the Galaxy Dragon…"_ Skylara thinks to herself. Her ribbons start to unravel to bare more skin near the shoulders and suddenly a bright red glow hits between her shoulder and collar bone. When it dims, a deep wound is left and blood begins to run down.

"No!" Yusei says.

A single drop of blood drips into a pool, and shining ripples spread from it.

Back on his runner, Yusei's eyes snap open. He looks over towards Skylara.

Skylara's back on her runner, and seems to be just fine and unharmed. She glances back over her shoulder at Yusei. "Are you alright, Yusei?" Asks Skylara.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Yusei says.

"Then, there is no more time to think. Time to act! Level-two synchro-tuner Swap Frog, tune with level eight synchro monster Cynder the Black Dragon!" Says Skylara.

"Level-two synchro-tuner Formula Synchron, tune with level-eight synchro monster Stardust Dragon!" Yusei says.

"No way! You're synchro-summoning during my turn, but how?!" Asks Primo.

"Some things defy explanation." Skylara says.

The stars swirl ahead of them into the bright white light down the track, and green tuning rings appear around their path itself.

"But, I have a hunch that one thing that won't be defied again is our attempt at creating the ultimate monsters!" Says Yusei.

Him and Skylara are traveling down a bright green path, and Cynder the Black Dragon is sinisterly dimming with dark colors, and Stardust Dragon is shooting off multicolored lights, like a draconic firework. They speed up more, the air beginning to turn red around Yusei and starry night black around Skylara. Skylara and Yusei's eyes blaze with white lights, like night skies filled with shooting stars, as the air races past, bright green, and they both pull a single card, the images appear as though a film across it is burning away, revealing Galextra the Galaxy Dragon and Shooting Star Dragon. "Our attempt, to Accel Synchro!" Both Skylara and Yusei say, in perfect unison. Her, Cynder, him and Stardust accelerate through the green rings, and are suddenly gone.

"Uh oh." Says Primo. Behind him, appears a vertical disc of green light, from which emerges, out of nowhere, Skylara and Yusei on their runners and two brand new dragons that soar higher, one shining like a star, gliding a broad aerial loop overhead.

"Behold, Galextra the Galaxy Dragon!" Skylara says.

"And the Shooting Star Dragon!" Says Yusei.

The two dragons hover high above the duel, at the center of a patch of white, yellow and blue light filtering through Primo's frightening clouds, a heavenly sunbeam illuminating the darkened city.

Skylara now has a different outfit on, it's her sailor uniform. Her uniform consists of a dark blue leotard, with long sleeves. Her sailor scarf and skirt are dark blue, as well. Her chest bow is dark red, with a dark blue, star-shaped crystal in at the center. On the sides of the crystal are transparent, dark red wings. In the middle of both her leotard and skirt is a wide, black line. The line starts above her chest and makes its way to the bottom of the skirt. Her back bow attached to her skirt is dark purple. Her thigh-high, heeled boots and bicep-length gloves are black. Her choker is silver and in the middle of her forehead is a red gem.

"And with its arrival comes the arrival of light and hope!" Yusei says. His dragon is shining even brighter than the sunbeam, radiating blue-white light.

Shooting Star Dragon is a level-ten dragon-type monster, with thirty-three-hundred attack points, and twenty-five-hundred defense points.

"And the arrival of darkness and vengeance!" Says Skylara. Her dragon is darker and sinister looking, like the dark galaxy.

Galextra the Galaxy Dragon is a level-ten dragon-type monster, with thirty-nine-hundred attack points, and three-hundred defense points.

"Oh no! Not good!" Primo says.

"Actually, Shooting Star is good! Only problem is, you're bad!" Says Yusei.

"Galextra, on the other hand, isn't so nice and that is bad news for you!" Skylara says.

Visor is still tailing the duel, and sees her and Yusei's brilliant dragons take the field. _"I'd say Skylara has got her groove back."_ Visor thinks to himself.

The light of Shooting Star's radiant beams reaches Jack and Kaz as they stand at the side of the road with their parked runners. "Check that out." Says Jack. "I think the city's gonna be okay." Kaz says.

Trudge, Minako and their officers watch from the edge of another freeway.

With a gasp, Carly looks up from cowering on the ground, toward the new light in the sky.

Sherry and Ellsworth see the illumination from yet another freeway somewhere in Domino.

Crow and the twins run out the front doorways of the Kaibadome, which show some evidence of battering in the form of broken glass on the ground, and look up at the shining sky. "Look! The clouds're clearing!" Says Leo. "D'ya think it's 'cause a' Yusei and Skylara?" Luna asks. "Oh, I'd bet my deck on it!" Says Crow. He's still holding Chibi Chibi in his arms. "Chibi!" Chibi Chibi says.

Akiza, Haluna, Hotaru and two other patients see the lights in the sky through the shattered windows of the hospital ward. Akiza is smiling, contentedly.

Galaxia, Jakob and Lester have a full view of Skylara and Yusei's new monsters.

"It seems that Primo has underestimated both Skylara and Yusei." Says Jakob.

"Yeah, no kidding! Lady Galaxia, ya think we oughta go help 'im out?" Lester asks.

"No. Both Skylara and Yusei have unlocked their tablets and released two mighty beasts. However, exactly how mighty these leviathans are, we do not know. So, let us watch, Lester. Watch, and see for ourselves." Says Galaxia.

"All right! Shooting Star Dragon, attack!" Yusei says. His dragon roars, radiating power.

"Attack, Galextra the Galaxy Dragon!" Says Skylara. Her dragon shrieks, unleashing dark power.

Galextra the Galaxy Dragon and Shooting Star Dragon face off against Machine Emperor Wisel, just as Skylara and Yusei face down Primo.


	18. Chapter 18

_Chapter 18: Primo's Plan: Part 5_

The portal of light through the dark clouds shimmers benignly down onto the tops of New Domino's skyscrapers.

Sherry and Ellsworth watch it from the track below. "Skylara's out there. Come on. Let's go find her, Ellsworth." Sherry says. She stands, decisively.

Ellsworth follows.

And they ride away down the track.

Jack and Kaz watch the beams from another highway. "That light can only mean one thing, Skylara and Yusei got off their Accel Synchros. And now that they have, I'm off to be there when Skylara creams this guy." Says Jack. "Right." Kaz says. Jack takes off on his runner.

Crow, Chibi Chibi and the twins can see the mirage of light from the Kaibadome, they stand somewhere near the building with the former's runner. "That glow, it's so warm." Says Leo. "My mark, I think it's telling me that light means Skylara and Yusei have a new power." Luna says. "Hmhmhm." Crow laughs. Crow walks over to his runner and gets ready to ride, still holding Chibi Chibi in his arms. "Crow, where are you going?" Asks Leo. "Where? Wherever Skylara's throwin' down, that's where." Crow says. He winces as he grips the controls, with a glance for his half-healed shoulder, but is determined. "Ugh! I'm not missin' this, no way!" Says Crow. He looks down at Chibi Chibi seated in front of him, not knowing if he should bring her with him or not. Crow makes his decision and holds Chibi Chibi securely against his waist. "Hold on as tight as you can, okay." Crow says. "Chibi." Says Chibi Chibi. Crow makes a little grin and rides off, leaving the twins to stare after him with some concern.

Then Luna looks up at the lights, and Leo follows her gaze. "Guess this light show is only just starting." Leo says.

Shooting Star Dragon is a beacon against the shadowy clouds, gliding beside Yusei.

Riding slightly ahead of them is Galextra the Galaxy Dragon, one of Skylara's most sinister looking dragons ever, gliding beside her. "With Shooting Star Dragon now on your side, Yusei! And Galextra the Galaxy Dragon now on my side! We finally have a shot to win this! And it is a shot that we are both taking, together!" Says Skylara.

"I'm right behind ya, Skylara! Go for it!" Visor says.

"I admit it, Skylara! These new monsters of yours are quite impressive! Which is why it's too bad, that you'll never actually get a chance to use either of them! I'm activating the effect of 'Speed World Two'! Now, by removing ten speed counters, your dragons are through!" Says Primo. His speed counters decrease to 2, he extends an arm, and three blasts of purple light shoot from his palm.

"Not once I play her special ability, it isn't. With it, once per turn, I can remove her from play! And when I activate this ability, I can also negate two of your monsters' attacks!" Skylara says.

"Fine, so you survive for one more round." Says Primo. He clenches the fist he extended until it shakes. "But, you can bet it will be your last!" Primo says.

"I don't think it will be, because now Galextra the Galaxy Dragon's ability returns her to the field! Which means, it is all set and ready to go! And you are set up and ready to go down!" Says Skylara.

"I also use Shooting Star Dragon's ability and he's all fired up to take you down, too!" Yusei says.

In the room with the four towering thrones, Lester, Jakob and Galaxia watch the infinity-shaped circuit revolve slowly beneath them, and keep an eye on the duel.

"Hahahahahahahaha. Primo may be in a tight spot, but it's not all bad. Up 'til now, only one circuit has appeared during a duel. But over the course of this match with Skylara and Yusei, a multitude of them have been activated." Says Lester.

"That may be. However, we will need even more to achieve our objective. The Signers' powers must be harnessed completely." Galaxia says.

"Even your incarnations powers, Lady Galaxia?" Asks Jakob.

"Yes, even hers. However, I have other plans for her and her Signer powers. Plans that do not require the other Signers." Galaxia says.

Both Lester and Jakob like the sound of that, but the latter isn't very amused by the idea, even though he has no clue what she's talking about.

Skylara, Yusei and Primo weave through a doorway from freeway to runner track.

Skylara draws. "It is my turn!" Says Skylara.

"Indeed it is, Skylara. But I can tell you right now, it's going to be a wasted one. After all, you can try attacking me with your new monster. But, my Meklord Emperor will simply negate that attack with the ability of Skiel Carrier Five and then Wisel Guard Three's ability will deflect any secondary attack." Primo says.

"We shall see about that." Says Skylara.

"What?!" Primo asks.

"I now activate another of Galextra the Galaxy Dragon's abilities! An ability that allows me to take a peek at the top five cards of my deck to see how many tuner monsters there are, and then lets me attack that many of your monsters! And Yusei's Shooting Star Dragon has the exact same ability. Because if you haven't figured it out yet, our dragons are like the opposite sides of the same coin. They are the essences of the Yin-Yang. Shooting Star Dragon is the side of all things full of light, trust and hope, while Galextra the Galaxy Dragon is the side full of darkness, deception and despair." Says Skylara.

Primo looks back at Shooting Star Dragon and Cyndra the Galaxy Dragon, angry and even afraid. _"So, Galextra the Galaxy Dragon and Shooting Star Dragon can make multiple attacks?!"_ Primo thinks to himself.

 _"It all comes down to this. Will my deck come through for me? Have I earned its favor?"_ Yusei thinks to himself, knowing Skylara can hear his thoughts.

Skylara looks over her shoulder at him. "I hope so. Because, it isn't just the duel that is on the line here. It is the whole city, and every soul that is in it. So, it is only right that we ask for their support now." Says Skylara, aside to Yusei. She faces forward again and closes her eyes.

Yusei nods, follows her words and closes his eyes.

Luna's Sign lights up on her arm. "It's Skylara and Yusei." Luna says.

Jack glances down at his glowing arm as he rides. "Their askin' us for our help." Says Jack.

Crow looks up at the sky as he rides, his right arm alight. "Everything I got is yours, buds!" Crow says.

Akiza is huddling with Haluna on the floor under the bashed-out windows of the hospital, when her mark shines through her sleeve. Hotaru is standing beside them, watching out the window. _"Although I'm here, my spirit's with you."_ Akiza thinks to herself.

Yusei watches his own mark of the dragon light up, even as his right hand prepares to draw a card.

Skylara's own mark is lit up, as well. The symbol on her right cheek and the markings that run along the sides of her neck are also glowing. "Brother, let's do this together, as one." Says Skylara.

"Ya got it, sis." Yusei says.

Skylara slices the first card through the air, and flips it over. Hex. "Alright, the first card is a tuner!" Says Skylara.

Yusei does the same. Junk Synchron. "Mine, too." Yusei says.

The additional designs etched into Skylara's lower back begin to glow through the back of her sailor uniform.

And elsewhere, Crow gasps.

Skylara pulls another card. "The second card..." Says Skylara. She flips it, Wham-Shell.

Yusei pulls out his second card and flips it, Nitro Synchron. "It's also a tuner!" Yusei says.

The additional markings that run along Skylara's legs start lighting up next.

And Akiza sighs, anxiously.

Skylara raises her third draw. "The third card...?" Asks Skylara. She turns it over, Flameslinger.

Yusei lifts his third draw and he turns it over, Debris Dragon. "Another tuner!" Yusei says.

The symbolic designs etched into Skylara's right shoulder-blade light up next.

And Jack lets out a breath, looking toward the sky.

"For the fourth...?" Asks Skylara. Rinyan, Lightsworn Rogue.

Yusei then goes for his fourth, Effect Veiler. "It's another one!" Yusei says.

The additional markings the run along Skylara's arms are the next ones to light up.

And Luna frowns, resolute.

Primo looks back at his foes, in hate and disbelief. "No way!" Says Primo.

Galextra the Galaxy Dragon shrieks and Shooting Star Dragon roars, infused with might.

 _"One more tuner and we'll both have enough attacks to win!"_ Yusei thinks to himself.

Skylara nods, responding to his thoughts. "Alright, time to see what we have! Our fifth and last draws!" Skylara says. The fifth and final card parts from her deck, Elephun.

Yusei goes for his final draw and flips it, Sonic Chick. "They're all tuners!" Says Yusei.

The symbolic designs etched into Skylara's left shoulder-blade are the final ones to light up.

And Yusei winces.

The Seal of the Dragon etched into Skylara's stomach and slightly her chest burns through the front of her sailor uniform. Skylara's already red eyes flare in crimson red, and the red gradation portion of her hair is ignited in crimson red light, as well. Hex, Wham-Shell, Flameslinger, Rinyan, Lightsworn Rogue and Elephun, the circle of the dragon's body connects the head, wings, claws, and finally around to its tail, the Seal of the Crimson Dragon is complete and shines brighter than ever.

"So then, you both have five attacks?! No, this just can't be!" Primo says.

"It can, and it is! Now, go, Galextra the Galaxy Dragon! Solar Eclipse Illusion!" Says Skylara. The black dragon soars into the sky and splits, like it flew through a vortex, into five of itself, glowing red, orange, purple, blue and green.

"Go, Shooting Star Dragon! Falling Star Slam!" Yusei says. The white dragon soars into the sky and splits, as though it flew through a prism, into five of itself, glowing red, orange, yellow, blue and green.

And all ten of them ready to go after Primo.

The two red ones swoop in first. "Fine! But, don't forget your first attack is canceled due to Skiel Five's ability!" Says Primo. Both red's swoops through Wisel and disappear.

The two orange ones soar in next. "And then, Wisel Guard Three's ability activates and saves it from being destroyed in battle! Which means, your second attacks, Skylara and Yusei, are useless, too!" Primo says. Wisel catches the orange shades of Galextra the Galaxy Dragon and Shooting Star Dragon on a supercharged shield, and they shatter.

"So, you negated the first two! However, you won't be negating the third!" Says Skylara.

The green Galextra the Galaxy Dragon and green Shooting Star Dragon are next to attack. Wisel Guard 3 powers up to deflect them, but the greens strike right through it with a huge explosion. "Gaaahh!" Wisel's right arm socket is sparking and flaming.

"Or this fourth one! Let 'im have it, Star Dragon!" Yusei says.

"You as well, Galextra!" Says Skylara.

The yellow one and purple one collide with Wisel Attack 3 in a fiery blast, taking Primo down to 100 lifepoints. "Gaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

"Now, for the fifth and final attack! Go, Galextra the Galaxy Dragon! Unleash your wrath and end this duel!" Skylara says.

"You too, Shooting Star Dragon!" Says Yusei.

The blue shooting Galextra and Star Dragon slam into Wisel's chest and neck, dismantling the Meklord Emperor. Primo is surrounded by violent flames. "Gggggggghhhhh! No! Impossible! Meklord Emperor can't be defeated, least of all by Skylara!" Primo says. Flaming at every connection, his giant robot topples, in a massive, smoky explosion. Primo loses the last of his lifepoints, his runner sparking dangerously. "Nooooo!" Says Primo.

The explosion that follows sends several pyroclastic missiles arcing over the landscape of highways between New Domino's two islands like shooting stars.

Down on the road, Primo has wrecked, badly.

Skylara brakes and runs toward him. "Are you alright?!" Skylara asks.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha." Jakob laughs.

Skylara stops short.

Primo slowly rises into the air.

"Primo is fine. His mechanized makeup does not require your pity. Although, it's quite intriguing to me that you would even offer it. After all that he's done to you and to your city." Says Jakob.

What's left of Primo and his runner has now risen to the top of the teardrop-shaped monument that stands at the center of New Domino City's bridge system, and lands atop the faceted jewel at its peak, where Jakob, Galaxia and Lester already stand.

Skylara looks up at them, nonplussed. Yusei follows her gaze.

The stormy clouds that overshadowed the duel have cleared, at least above this location, they still hang over the city mainland, but above the bridges, the sky is cloudless and bright blue.

"Truly, you always find a way to surprise me, Skylara Galatea. Or, at this moment, do you prefer to be addressed as Sailor Galaxy?" Jakob asks. Galaxia's sword hovers to her hand and she swipes with it, experimentally. "Hmhmhmhm." Lester laughs.

"You are who attacked Leo and Luna!" Says Skylara.

"Oh please, 'attack' is such a harsh word. Ahahahahaha. Primo's the real villain in all of this. After all, he's the one who used your program to create the duel bot army. And well, look where it got 'im." Lester says. Primo's one eye that looked normal is blank and staring, his face frozen, in an expression of rage and fear, scratched and burnt.

"My program? Of course, that's why it was stolen away from us! Now it all makes sense." Says Yusei.

"Yes. Lady Galaxia and Primo were the ones who ordered Vice Director Lazar to snatch it from you. Of course, Lazar is in hiding now. And I don't blame him, when you work with Primo and Lady Galaxia, things have a way of souring fast." Lester says. He reaches down and takes Primo's deck from the machinery inside his wrist. "For example, he borrowed some of my cards without even asking! But, it's fine. To make things all fair and square, I'll just relieve him of his entire deck. Huh?" Asks Lester.

Engines of duel runners can be heard, as Jack and Crow, with Chibi Chibi, join Yusei and Skylara on the street far below, and Visor also parks a distance away. "Skylara? Yusei? You guys okay?" Crow asks.

"Ah, company!" Says Lester.

"What's with them?" Jack asks.

"Ha ha ha ha ha, 'what is with us'? Ohh, you will discover that soon enough, Jack Atlas. The whole of New Domino City shall!" Says Galaxia.

Chibi Chibi, still being held in Crow's arms, is trembling at the sight of them. Chibi Chibi is already on the verge of tears. "Mama!" Chibi Chibi says, screaming out. She's reaching out for Skylara, almost desperately. Crow hands Chibi Chibi over to Skylara, instantly, who takes her into her arms and holds her close to her chest, trying to console her.

As he rides, Ellsworth's runner screen changes from static to a wide view of New Domino's bridges. "Sherry, it looks like we're getting a clear signal again." Ellsworth says.

Sherry's screen shows live feeds of Skylara, Yusei, Jack, Crow and Chibi Chibi, and of Jakob, Galaxia and Lester, in addition to the same image on Ellsworth's screen. "And just in time. Skylara, she's in grave danger!" Says Sherry.

They ride onward toward the teardrop monument.

"Skylara, Yusei, Jack and Crow. At last, all four of you have gathered." Galaxia says.

Visor is listening, carefully, removed from the action.

"How fitting it is that we meet here, under the monument that symbolizes the unity between New Domino City, and the Satellite. Wouldn't you say?" Asks Jakob.

"Before we say anything, we want some answers, bub!" Crow says. "That's right, like who are you?" Asks Jack.

"Yes, you're right, introductions are in order. We three are the Emperors of Yliaster." Jakob says.

"The Emperors of Yliaster?" Asks Skylara. "So, they're royal pains." Jack says. "So, what about the lady on your side?" Asks Crow.

"She is our Lady." Jakob says. "Or you can basically address her as our Ruler if that is easier for you to take in." Says Lester. "I am the Lady of Yliaster, Galaxia."

"Why do you sound so much like Skylara?" Jack asks. "Yeah, I want to know that, too." Says Crow.

"Hm, I don't think I have to explain that. However, I have my ways of getting my point across." Galaxia says. She reaches for her hood and cloak, and with a lot of strength, removes the hood and throws away the cloak.

The guys are shocked to see this result.

Galaxia looks just like Skylara, except that she appears somewhat older, her hair and eye color are different, and her face and body are free of scars and markings.

"How, how is this possible?" Asks Crow. "Guys, I know who Galaxia is and what she is. She isn't human and she's not a robot, she's a humanoid alien." Skylara says. "How do you know her and so much about her?" Asks Yusei. "Because, Galaxia is my incarnation. A sort of clone of me." Skylara says.

"I'm the incarnation of you?! Please, if anything you are the incarnation of me. I am not living in your pathetic shadow. Besides, if that is the case of me being your incarnation, then I'm the better and stronger version of what you used to be." Says Galaxia.

"If you say so." Skylara says.

Galaxia growls under her breath and is about to put an end to this discussion, aiming her sword directly for her incarnation's heart. "Then why don't we test that theory." Says Galaxia. She's about to go at her, until Jakob grabs a hold of her around the waist, respectfully. "Lady Galaxia, not here. It's not the right time and place." Jakob says. Galaxia calms down and he releases her. "I am the leader of the Emperors of Yliaster, Jakob." "What? Whoever said you were the leader?" Asks Lester. Jakob glares at him, lividly, and he backs down. "No, that's fine. And I'm, uh, the co-leader of the Emperors of Yliaster, the name's Lester. And this guy here? That's Primo, but you've already met him."

"Tell us why! Why have you brought all this havoc to our city?!" Yusei ask.

"Sorry, but I'm afraid that info's given on a need-to-know basis." Says Lester. "I'll tell you why, Yusei." Jakob says. "What? I thought it was a secret." Says Lester. "There is nothing to hide, they can't stop us now." Galaxia says. "Yeah, good point." Says Lester. "Our objective is to repair the future, Yusei." Jakob says.

"'Repair'?" Asks Yusei.

"That is correct." Jakob says.

"Yeah? Well then, you four bozos are the most destructive repairmen that I've ever come across!" Says Jack.

"Please. Grow a brain! You know the saying, 'you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs!' Well, Jackie! We are breaking some!" Galaxia says.

"Oh yeah? We'll see!" Says Jack.

"You simpleminded fool, don't you realize? This is something that we have been doing for years, it isn't like we just started today!" Galaxia says.

"However, what do you mean 'repair the future'? Who says it is broken?" Asks Skylara. "Yeah. Besides, no one knows what the future'll bring." Crow says.

"No one but us, that is." Says Galaxia.

"No way!" Yusei says.

"Oh yes way, and we know what the future holds and won't let it come to pass!" Says Lester.

"You lie!" Jack says.

"It's true, and you'd see it yourself if you simply studied the present. You see, there is an ever-so-delicate balance between the good and the wicked in this world." Says Jakob.

"The good... and the wicked...?" Skylara asks.

"Yes. And that balance creates a future that is harmonious and fair. Well, it is our aim to adjust that balance, and tilt it into a new direction. A direction that leans towards us, the three Emperors of Yliaster and the Lady of Yliaster." Says Jakob.

"You're mad! You wanna throw the whole world outta whack just so you and your cronies can be a bit more powerful?!" Crow asks.

"Not a bit more, we will have total power. And we are already well on our way to gaining that power." Says Jakob.

"Yeah, and how is that?" Crow asks.

"All civilizations in this world are structured the same! There are great many weak souls on a bottom level, and a select few mighty ones up top!" Says Galaxia.

Vision. Galaxia's explanation is accompanied by a visual aid, the bottom of the pyramid is blues and greens, warming up to the top, which is bright red. "It is not unlike a pyramid. What we have done is infiltrated this pyramid, all the way to its peak!" Galaxia says, in voice-over. The vision ends.

Back to the present. "And since we have, we now control those who control the world! We are the puppeteers of the powerful!" Says Galaxia.

"What?! So then…" Skylara says.

"So then, it's you four that are responsible for the disappearance of my mother and father?!" Asks Sherry.

"Sherry?" Skylara asks.

"Perhaps. However, I don't remember everyone who has meddled in our business over the years." Says Galaxia.

"Then, I'll make you remember!" Sherry says.

Jack and Crow exchange a nervous look and so do Skylara and Yusei.

Sherry finally shows herself, riding her runner up the inside edge of the teardrop arch.

Skylara gasps.

As the arch curves inward, Sherry leaps the edge and soars toward the top of the jewel, straight for Galaxia. "By hurting you, like you hurt them!" Says Sherry.

"Insolent child!" Galaxia says. Jakob steps in front of her to protect her from harm, even though she can very well defend herself. Jakob catches her runner by the bottom of its frame, easily holding Sherry and her runner above his head in midair. Her wheels spin, aimlessly. "No way!" Says Sherry. "Did you really think you could harm her with us around to protect her?" Jakob asks. He throws her, Sherry falls clear of her runner and lands, balanced, on the top of the jewel, in a fighting crouch, her runner goes flying over the edge and falls all the way down into the ocean below with a big splash.

"You'll pay for that!" Says Ellsworth. He jumps his runner off the other side of the arch, just as Sherry did, and lands riding on the top of the jewel.

Galaxia leaps to Jakob's shoulder, sword ready.

Ellsworth leaps from his runner, Galaxia from Jakob's shoulder.

Ellsworth's runner keeps moving and Jakob smashes it out of a collision, with one massive fist. Trailing pieces of itself, Ellsworth's runner is thrown high into the air and explodes.

Meanwhile, Galaxia and Ellsworth are still leaping toward each other to clash midair, she swings her sword and he meets the attack with the steel edge of his duel disk, pressing blade-to-blade. "Slime!" Ellsworth says. "Slime that is about to get the better of you!" Says Galaxia. She flips and kicks.

Ellsworth falls to the ground on his back, flips, skids toward the edge, rolls and recovers.

Lester joins Galaxia at her side and laughs, as he steps in front of her. Lester may be the smallest and the youngest of them, but he'll still protect his Lady at any cost. "Hahahahaha!"

"Agh!" Ellsworth yells.

Skylara's watching all this from far below. "Ellsworth! Fall back, they are too strong!" Skylara says.

"No, never!" Says Ellsworth.

"Fool! You should listen to your friend. But no, you, like so many of your kind, are blinded by your own arrogance, your own sense of duty. So often we have tried to lead you onto the correct path, one that will deliver this world into our new golden age, but you always resist. And each time you do, you chip away at the new way of life we're offering. In fact, you've chipped away so much now, there are certain unpleasantries that simply cannot be avoided." Jakob says.

"What're you talking about?" Asks Yusei.

"I am talking about your father, Yusei! And how his work thrust New Domino City into chaos!" Jakob says.

Flashback. "You see..." Says Jakob, in voice-over. Eighteen and a half years ago, Roman Goodwin leans a hand on the control panel to the first Ener-D reactor, eyes wild, with a yell, he smashes his fist through the protective glass on the big red button. "We were the ones who were behind Roman's efforts." Jakob says, in voice-over. The light of the reactor shines out, too bright to see... "We were the ones who orchestrated everything that he did!" Says Jakob, in voice-over. A light from the ominous, swirling clouds above casts a shining beam of light on the needle that towers over the City, and the destruction explodes outward from that point in a blinding wall of light, ripping to shreds everything in its path, instantly. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. Skylara listens, intently.

"However, as you well know, it was all for naught. Zero Reverse happened, and its aftereffects still ripple through time, and they always will. But, to what extent? Though we don't have an answer for that, we do have an answer for what might diminish this ripple." Says Jakob.

"And what's that?" Crow asks.

"That, is destroying New Domino City." Says Jakob.

"No way!" Yusei says. "It's always the same thing with you bad guys!" Says Jack.

"By destroying the city, we destroy the source of the event. Thereby, destroying the very origin of this troublesome wrinkle." Galaxia says.

"So, that is why...!" Says Skylara.

"That's not going to happen!" Sherry says. Sherry renews her attack, she runs, then leaps to kick at Galaxia's head.

"Hm?" Asks Galaxia.

Sherry then notices that neither Jakob or Lester are running to protect her. "Huh!" Sherry says.

With a swipe of her arm, Galaxia deflects her kick, then catches her by the front of her collar on the way down, choking her. Sherry can barely cry out. "This is the second time you have raised your hand to me! Perhaps, Jakob was too gentle with you during the first! Unfortunately for you, I am not so generous! Now, then, how should I punish you this time?" Asks Galaxia.

"Sherry!" Ellsworth says. "Do as you please, my Lady. She's not a true duelist, we have no use for her." Says Lester.

With an effort of will, Sherry wraps her arms and legs around Galaxia's arm and bends it back, hands touching her bracelet on that wrist.

Jakob, Lester, Yusei and Jack gasp, in shock. Skylara isn't as surprised about this, she knows Galaxia all too well. "Yusei." Skylara says. Yusei looks over at her. "Here, take her." Says Skylara. She hands Chibi Chibi over to Yusei, who takes her in his arms and holds her. "What are you going to do, Skylara?" Crow asks. "The one thing I can do." Says Skylara.

"You won't get rid of me that easy!" Sherry says. "Hmph! I beg to differ, child!" Says Galaxia. She slowly flexes her arm, lifting it and Sherry up above her head to look her in the eyes, impossible strength for a woman. "Ugh-no…!" Sherry says. "You say your parents disappeared? Well…" Says Galaxia. She shakes Sherry off, into the air beyond the edge. "Time for you to do the same!" Galaxia says.

Sherry is falling, stunned. _"Father... mother..."_ Sherry thinks to herself.

"I've got you!" Says Ellsworth. He runs and jumps over the edge of the jewel, as Sherry falls past.

"Oh no! They're falling!" Yusei says.

Ellsworth catches Sherry around the waist, then raises his duel disk, as a parachute explodes out of its center, printed with a large 'M' logo, black text on an orange diamond. "You're safe now." Says Ellsworth, quietly. Sherry is already glaring back toward the top of the jewel, green eyes blazing with fight.

Skylara turns away from the softly drifting parachute back to Lester, Jakob and Galaxia.

Galaxia and Skylara are now glaring at each other, as if the former has just found her next victim. "Are you going to try to face me as well, Skylara? Or should I say, Sailor Galaxy?" Galaxia asks.

Skylara steps up a bit.

"I should warn you, though. I have captured most of the other Sailor Guardian's." Says Galaxia.

Skylara stops in her tracks. "You what?!" Skylara asks.

Galaxia smirks. "The Sailor Guardian's are like a plague. They are always a reoccurring inconvenience. Haven't you always wondered why you were reincarnated for the third time? Well, to put it simply, the Sailor Guardian's are always meant to reincarnate so earth and the entire universe are always kept protected. However, I plan to change all of that. The moment this city is destroyed, I shall eliminate every Sailor Guardian from this world and finally put an end to the cycle. I have most of the Sailor Guardians locked away and placed in a coma-like state. I'm saving you, Sailor Galaxy, for last." Says Galaxia.

"I won't let you destroy anything. After all, I'm still a Sailor Guardian." Skylara says. The red gem in the middle of her forehead starts glowing and a sword suddenly appears in front of her. She grasps it in her hand and swings it, expertly. "And as the Soldier of Darkness and Vengeance. I, Sailor Galaxy, will protect this world from invaders such as yourself." She aims her sword towards Galaxia.

Galaxia aims her sword at her and glides towards her.

A glyph of some sort materializes behind Sailor Galaxy and she leaps onto it, using it almost like a launchpad, as it sends her flying towards Galaxia.

Their swords collide and they are suspended in mid-air, neither sword is budging. "So, I see you can still wield a sword after so many years." Says Galaxia. "Some skills stay with you for a lifetime. Or in our case, for many lifetimes." Sailor Galaxy says.

Then suddenly, out of nowhere, a big flash of light hits between the two swords and separates Galaxia and Sailor Galaxy from each other.

Then, some sort of weapon comes in and slashes Galaxia up, badly. Galaxia lets out a scream, in pain, and falls back to where Lester and Jakob are still standing, and lands into the latter's outstretched arms. Jakob then places Galaxia down beside Primo, only she's still partially conscious yet.

Sailor Galaxy has watched all of this and turns in time to block the incoming weapon, sending it flying the other way with her sword. She summons one of her glyphs to keep her suspended in mid-air.

The weapon that was sent flying is caught in its return path by another sailor-suited girl, who's standing on top of a pillar.

Sailor Galaxy gasps, recognizing her all too well. "No..." Says Sailor Galaxy.

This girl has violet eyes, which tend to match her whole appearance, and straight, black hair, that frames her small face just past her chin. She appears to be fifteen and her height seems to be 4'10". Her tiara is gold, with a white gem in the center, and her earrings, which are quite unique, are white pearls, adorned with a ring to look like her guardian planet, with white dagger-shaped pendants hanging from them. Her sailor uniform consists of the traditional white leotard, with translucent, short sleeves, and her white gloves extend to her elbows. Both her chest bow and back bow, that's attached to her skirt, are maroon. Her choker, sailor scarf, elbow fittings of gloves, skirt and knee-high, laced-up, heeled boots are all purple. She's holding her weapon, the Silence Glaive at her side.

Sailor Galaxy lowers her sword. "Sailor Saturn..." Sailor Galaxy says.

"Oh, so now you acknowledge me after all these years. Took you long enough." Says Sailor Saturn.

"No, I always knew of your existence, Saturn." Sailor Galaxy says.

"If you knew, why didn't you ever try and get in contact with me?" Asks Sailor Saturn.

"I tried to reach out to you once before, a little over four years ago. However, you declined my request." Sailor Galaxy says.

"You call sending Neptune for me trying to get in touch with me?!" Asks Sailor Saturn, angrily.

"Saturn..." Sailor Galaxy says.

"No!" Says Sailor Saturn, angrily. She twirls her Glaive and aims it towards her. "You knew I existed, but you didn't care enough to even mention me to anyone! What kind of sister are you?!" Sailor Saturn asks, she's fighting back tears.

"Hotaru, your my sister. How can you think I don't care about you?" Asks Sailor Galaxy.

"You care more for Yusei than you ever did me. If I meant anything to you, you would've tried harder to contact me and you would've mentioned me to Yusei." Sailor Saturn says.

"Oh, Hotaru. You don't understand the kind of life Yusei and I were living in. The Satellite wasn't an ideal place to grow up in. I'm sorry, Hotaru. I didn't know your memories would come back just as strongly as mine did." Says Sailor Galaxy.

Sailor Saturn lowers her Glaive a bit. "It wasn't just the memories. Mom would never stop talking about her fraternal half-twins that had disappeared during the Zero Reverse incident. She always wondered what became of you and Yusei, but she had hope that you both survived. I've hated you for as long as I can remember." Sailor Saturn says.

Sailor Galaxy uses her glyphs to create a path for her.

Sailor Saturn looks down at the path of glyphs before her and then back up at Sailor Galaxy.

"Hotaru, I don't blame you for hating me. I know it is probably far too late to make up for all of the years that Yusei and I have missed in being a part of your life. However, will you allow us to start making up for it?" Asks Sailor Galaxy.

Sailor Saturn almost seems hesitant, but she soon falls victim to tears and her Glaive disappears. She runs along the path of glyphs and right into Sailor Galaxy's embrace. Sailor Saturn looks up at Sailor Galaxy, eyes full of tears. "This is all I ever wanted... to be reunited with my big sister..." Sailor Saturn says, through tears. Sailor Galaxy just hugs her close to herself. "Don't forget, you have a big brother, as well." Says Sailor Galaxy. She's then suddenly struck from behind and screams out, in pain. Sailor Saturn looks up at her and gasps. Sailor Galaxy looks back over her shoulder.

Jakob sent Galaxia's sword directly at her when she least expected. "Sorry to interrupt your little family reunion. But, I thought I would return the favor for our Lady." Jakob says.

Sailor Galaxy turns to face him, keeping Sailor Saturn behind her. "Stay back, Hotaru." Says Sailor Galaxy.

Jakob controls the sword, as if he's manipulating its movement with strings.

The sword slashes at Sailor Galaxy multiple times, until the glyph that's keeping her and Sailor Saturn in mid-air suddenly vanishes. Sailor Galaxy and Sailor Saturn are both falling out of the sky and fast. Both Sailor Galaxy and Sailor Saturn lose their sailor forms, returning them to Skylara and Hotaru.

"Here, Crow. Take her." Yusei says. He hands Chibi Chibi over to Crow, who takes her and holds her in one of his arms. Yusei then runs and catches Hotaru, breaking her fall, causing them both to fall over.

Jack runs forward and leaps into the air, catches Skylara in mid-fall and lands, in a crouch on the ground. Jack then stands up, cradling Skylara, who's pretty cut up, in his arms.

Yusei, Hotaru and Crow, still holding Chibi Chibi in one of his arms, run over to Jack, as he continues to cradle Skylara, who's barely conscious, in his arms. "Y-you lowlifes! Go ahead and try to destroy this city just like Primo did! We'll stop you, too!" Says Yusei.

Visor is listening, closely.

"Fools! Primo wasn't trying to destroy this city, he was only trying to make you think that he was." Jakob says.

"What? That makes no sense!" Says Jack.

"All will be revealed at the World Racing Grand Prix!" Jakob says.

Just above the Earth's atmosphere, a meteor is approaching.

Jakob looks toward the sky. "Ah! At last, it has arrived!" Says Jacob.

Jack looks around. "Huh? What's that sound?" Jack asks.

"Look up!" Says Lester.

A fiery meteor is approaching from straight above.

"Uh... I'm thinking... maybe we should run." Crow says.

Pause.

"Right!" Says Jack. The four of them start running.

"But, you can't hide! Eheheheheheheheh!" Lester says, taunting.

The meteor is roaring in for a landing.

The three guys, Hotaru and Chibi Chibi shield their eyes.

The huge, fiery meteor is on a collision course.

Jakob raises a hand. "Stop there!" Says Jakob.

"Aaaggh!" Crow screams. He keeps shielding his face. Skylara looks up, weakly, with surprise.

The meteor hangs suspended in the air in front of Jakob, still flaming. The flames dissipate to reveal a glowing stone tablet.

"Whoa, that thing stopped midair." Crow says. "That thing is a stone tablet..." Says Skylara, weakly.

The light fades, and on the back of the tablet can be seen the distinctive swirling pattern found on the back of every Duel Monsters card.

"This can't be good!" Yusei says.

Sparkles are floating off the back of the tablet and pooling in Jakob's outstretched hand, solidifying into the shape of a stack of dueling cards. When the sparkles stop and the cards have appeared, the tablet then cracks and shatters into the air. A mechanism unfolds from Jakob's chest, extends itself and lights up a platform for his cards, like the one Primo used. Jakob lays down the five cards he just received in the same spread used for the other two Meklord Emperors.

The ground begins to rumble, the ocean across the bridge, behind the guys, is stirring.

"Would someone-please tell me what's going on?!" Asks Crow.

A figure, pouring water off of it, rises from the ocean.

"Behold, my new power!" Jakob says.

"Oh, man!" Says Yusei.

The monster before them is a third Meklord Emperor, identifiable by the void and shifting green light encased in its chest. Its armor plating is golden yellow, and it is very, very big.

"Behold, Meklord Emperor Granel! Team Six-D's, if you seek to stop us, then we must duel at the World Racing Grand Prix! The future will be decided there!" Jakob says. He lifts Galaxia up in his arms, cradling her unconscious and motionless body. "I apologize for not being able to protect you in the end, my Lady." Says Jakob. Lester takes Galaxia's sword into his hands. "Aah!" Lester says. He slashes the air before him, and a glowing portal appears. Primo's wreck floats through, then Jakob strides after, carrying Galaxia through the portal. "Until then!" Says Jakob. Lester follows, with a cheery wave. "Bye-bye!" Lester says. The portal vanishes.

"Wait!" Says Yusei. He looks back toward Meklord Emperor Granel as, with a soft rumble, it vanishes and the sun shines brighter on the spot where it stood once again.

They are alone on the sparkling highways of New Domino City on a beautiful day, now entirely clear and sunny again, but all is not well.

Back at the Kaibadome, the screens boot up again with the WRGP logo. "The power's back on!" Leo says.

At the hospital, the lights in the hallway flick on, while Akiza and Haluna still huddle beneath the window. "Huh. Hey look, I think we're okay." Says Akiza. "Yeah, everything's back to normal!" Haluna says.

"That was crazy. They all just disappeared!" Says Crow.

Visor turns and starts walking toward his runner, drawing their attention.

"Visor...! Hold up. Do you think you can shed any light on everything that has been going on? For the whole duel it seemed like you somehow knew what would happen. Like you knew that somehow, some way, Yusei and I would both Accel Synchro. Did you know that Shooting Star Dragon card Yusei played and that Galextra the Galaxy Dragon card I played? That they were from a stone tablet?" Skylara asks.

"All I can tell you is this. Deep in my heart, something was whispering to me that you would execute the perfect Accel Synchro summoning. As for how you received the components to initiate this summoning, I don't know." Says Visor.

Vision. The Floating Eye rotates benignly in its ethereal white room. "Maybe there are higher powers at work here. Powers that we don't yet fully understand. Powers of destiny." Visor says, in voice-over. The vision ends.

Back to the present. Skylara frowns. "Of destiny?" Asks Skylara.

"I know you have mixed feelings on the subject. But still, you can't deny, you have that dragon for a reason." Visor says. He turns, and rides away.

Leaving Yusei, Skylara, Jack, Crow, Hotaru and Chibi Chibi to gaze after him.

 _"I wish I could tell Skylara more, but the answers elude even me. One thing I am sure of, however, is that this duel was just the start. The real battle, is only beginning."_ Visor thinks to himself.

As Angela Reigns reports, the screen shows photos of the damage caused by the lightning and the duel. Buildings are cracked and crumbling, the sides of some racing tracks are entirely smashed out and wildly bent apart. "Tragedy struck during the World Racing Grand Prix earlier today in New Domino City. Thankfully, there are no casualties, but scores of buildings, duel runners, and raceways have been destroyed. It is still unclear as to what exactly caused the damage." Says Angela.

The screen shows a trio of Security guys investigating a huge crack in the pavement. The screen also shows footage of Trudge commanding his Security troops, then conferring with Minako, as she shows him and a few other officers a paper or photo. "But Public Security officials are mounting a full investigation, and at present say that all preliminary evidence indicates this was a result of some fluke atmospheric anomaly." Angela says.

Out in front of Zora's building, Skylara and the guys' runners are parked a short distance away. Yusei, the twins, Bruno, Akiza, Ellsworth, Sherry, Crow, Jack, who's holding Chibi Chibi in his arms, and Skylara are standing around. "You're kidding me! They didn't find any evidence leading it back to those four creeps?" Asks Luna. "We gotta talk to Trudge, tell 'im that something else is going on here." Leo says. "We did. But he needs proof, and all their gear shorted out during that storm." Says Jack. "Yeah, those three so-called Emperors of Yliaster and Lady of Yliaster really did a good job covering their tracks on this. It's like they were never even here!" Crow says. "Who cares, what matters is we know the truth. Skylara, what's our plan of action? It's pretty clear those four goons want you guys to duel in the Grand Prix. So that means, they have some sort of trap set up." Says Sherry. "I agree. If you continue to compete, you'll be playing right into their hands." Ellsworth says. "That may be. However, what other choice do we have at this point? Dueling in the Grand Prix is our only way to get to them. We are just going to have to be extra careful from here on out. And hope that whatever surprises they throw our way, we can throw right back at them. Because, if we can't. It sounds like they aren't just going to take over our City. They are going to take over the whole world, as well." Says Skylara. She looks away into the sky.

Looming above in the sky, she seems to see the three Emperors of Yliaster and her incarnation the Lady of Yliaster, all four ready to make serious trouble.


	19. Chapter 19

_Chapter 19: To The Ancient Land Of Nazca_

Evening, Jack is riding along a desert terrain. As he rides on, the ground beneath him cracks and Red Dragon Archfiend, smoldering in flames, is advancing on him. Jack looks back over his shoulder up at his prized dragon. "My soul, Red Dragon Archfiend!" Jack says. Archfiend advances on him and soon engulfs him in flames. Jack screams out, as the flames envelop him.

And Greiger's eyes fly open. Greiger shoots straight up, with a yell.

Which startles his younger sister and brother, waking them both up, too. "What's wrong, Greiger?" Greiger's trying to catch his breath. "You're sweating. Are you okay?" Greiger continues to breathe, heavily, trying to get a grip of reality, and puts on a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry that I woke you up." Says Greiger. He gets up and lightly ruffles at his brother's hair. "Go back to sleep." Greiger says. His younger brother and sister both nod and lie back down. "Good night." They both soon go back to sleep.

Greiger then straightens himself up. _"That was Jack Atlas. Why did he appear in my dream? That dragon was Red Dragon Archfiend. Jack's own monster attacked him."_ Greiger thinks to himself. He walks over to the window, looking at a temple of some sort. Greiger gasps, sensing something and goes over to sit in front of a laptop, typing away, the email addressed to Skylara Galatea.

Daytime, the following day. Skylara is riding her duel runner along the sandy terrain of the desert.

Not too far behind, Yusei, on his own runner, is riding at Skylara's left side.

While Jack, on his runner, is riding at Skylara's right side.

All three look very serious.

"I never thought I'd see these horrible drawings again." Says Jack.

Skylara sighs. "You aren't alone in that." Skylara says.

"Yeah." Says Yusei.

They continue to ride on through the desert, riding on through the legendary Nazca lines that once marked the Dark Signers.

Flashback, three days earlier. Jack is sitting at his usual café table, sipping at his coffee. He sighs a bit and sets down his cup.

Stephanie the waitress is standing nearby, watching him. _"Since the World Racing Grand Prix Preliminaries are suspended, wonderful times are starting again."_ Stephanie thinks to herself.

Jack hasn't noticed her watching him, his arms crossed.

 _"_ _He's lovely when he's driving, but watching Jack gracefully drink his coffee is the best!"_ Stephanie thinks to herself.

The hippy couple are sitting at a nearby table, the guy raises his hand. "Umm, can you take my order?"

"Refill!" Jack says.

"Okay!" Says Stephanie. She runs inside.

Leaving the hippy couple without service. "Hey, wait!"

The birds bathing in the water fountain suddenly take off.

Flashback, to Jack's duel against Andre. "Come to me, Red Dragon Archfiend!" Andre says. Archfiend replies by flinging a fireball at him and his runner. "Come and be snared like the annoying little pest that you are! I activate the trap 'Different Dimension Barrier-Lost Force'! Now the damage your Archfiend was about to inflict on me, is deflected back to you!" Says Andre.

"That's not good!" Jack says.

A shimmering barrier appears in front of Andre.

When Archfiend strikes, the barrier crackles and backfires against him, showering the track where Jack is riding with blasts. "Ugh!" Says Jack. His lifepoints fall to 1000 in a single shot.

Change flashback, to when Yusei, Skylara, Jack and Crow met Jakob, Galaxia and Lester. "The Emperors of Yliaster?" Skylara asks. "So, they're royal pains." Says Jack. "So, what about the lady on your side?" Crow asks.

"She is our Lady." Says Jakob. "Or you can basically address her as our Ruler if that is easier for you to take in." Lester says. "I am the Lady of Yliaster, Galaxia." "Team Six-D's, if you seek to stop us, then we must duel at the World Racing Grand Prix! The future will be decided there!" Says Jakob. The flashback ends.

Return to current flashback. _"Can I beat them in my current state?"_ Jack thinks to himself.

Flashback, to when Skylara and Yusei achieved their Accel Synchros. Yusei and Skylara are traveling down a bright green path, and Cynder the Black Dragon is sinisterly dimming with dark colors, while Stardust Dragon is shooting off multicolored lights, like a draconic firework. They speed up more, the air beginning to turn red around Yusei and starry night black around Skylara. Skylara and Yusei's eyes blaze with white lights, like night skies filled with shooting stars, as the air races past, bright green, and they both pull a single card, the images appear as though a film across it is burning away, revealing Galextra the Galaxy Dragon and Shooting Star Dragon. "Our attempt, to Accel Synchro!" Both Skylara and Yusei say, in perfect unison. Her, Cynder, him and Stardust accelerate through the green rings, and are suddenly gone.

"Uh oh." Says Primo. Behind him, appears a vertical disc of green light, from which emerges, out of nowhere, Skylara and Yusei, on their respective runners, and two brand new dragons, that soar higher, one shining like a star, gliding a broad aerial loop overhead. The flashback ends.

Return to the current flashback. _"_ _If I don't find a new way to fight,_ _too. I won't be able to defeat them."_ Jack thinks to himself. He's looking down at his hand and clenches his fist. _"_ _But, my fighting technique is to use power to apply pressure._ _It's the only way._ _"_ Jack thinks to himself.

Stephanie soon returns, setting the cup down on the table in front of him. "Thanks for waiting." Stephanie says. She then walks off.

Jack picks up the cup, bringing it up to his lips. _"Unyielding power..."_ Jack thinks to himself, taking a sip of his coffee.

He suddenly gets socked in the head, with some of the coffee missing his mouth. As he looks up, Crow, with a newspaper rolled up in his hand, Yusei and Skylara have shown up, standing around the café table. "What are you doing?" Asks Jack. "What are you doing here?" Crow asks. He points the newspaper down at the receipt on the table. "Look at this! Twelve cups of Blue-Eyes coffee for three-hundred and sixty bucks? You're starting to waste money again! The World Racing Grand Prix isn't over yet!" Says Crow. "What are you talking about? I was drinking coffee so that I'd be inspired to come up with new strategies!" Jack says. He stands up, holding the receipt in Crow's face.

Stephanie and the hippy couple are watching as this scene plays out.

"I'm including this in the expenses!" Says Jack. Crow smacks the check out of his face, with his good hand, his other arm is still in the sling. "I won't allow that!" Crow says. "What?" Asks Jack. Him and Crow get in each others face, with teeth clenched and all but growling at each other. "I received a message that might lead to your new fighting method." Skylara says. Jack and Crow are tugging at each other, and then both turn to face her and Yusei. "What?" Asks Jack. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. Jack, Skylara and Yusei are still riding their respective runners through the desert terrain.

"I'm surprised Crow approved the travel expenses." Jack says.

"It took a lot of work to convince him, but he finally approved the travel expenses." Says Yusei. He then glances over at Jack, with a smirk on his face. "But, I don't know about your coffee budget." Yusei says.

Jack scoffs at that.

Skylara seems a little more serious than Jack and Yusei at the moment. "Anyway, I'm surprised Greiger is here." Says Skylara.

"Hmph! A message from a dream is stupid. However..." Jack says.

"This is what Greiger's e-mail said, 'if Jack Atlas doesn't find a new way to battle, he'll perish due to his own power'." Says Skylara, seriously.

Jack scoffs, slightly. "It's like a cliché from a fake fortuneteller. But, he's right. I've been thinking of a new way to battle for days. And I reached a conclusion." Jack says.

Skylara and Yusei both glance over at them, both quite serious.

"You'll battle by using power to apply pressure?" Asks Yusei, seriously.

"Yeah, that's the only way." Jack says.

"However, I think you are unsure whether that is truly the best way to battle. Isn't that why you are here, Jack?" Asks Skylara, seriously.

Jack doesn't reply.

Yusei, Skylara and Jack continue riding on, as a stone temple can be seen in the horizon.

At the stone temple, Greiger is kneeling down to one knee atop it, eyes closed, in a type of prayer. Greiger soon opens his eyes at the sound of approaching runners and turns to look over his shoulder, seeing Yusei, Skylara and Jack riding towards the temple. He stands up and turns to face the incoming trio, smiles and waves at them.

Skylara has a small smile. "Greiger!" Skylara says, happily.

Greiger descends the stairs of the temple, as she, Yusei and Jack come to a halt before the stone structure. "Skylara." Says Greiger.

Skylara steps off of her runner, removes her helmet and walks over to him. Greiger lifts up his hand, as she stops to stand before him. "Thanks for coming." Greiger says. Skylara grasps his hand, showing the respect between fellow duelists.

Yusei then walks up next, carrying his helmet under one arm, as he stands next to his half-twin sister. "Yusei." Says Greiger. He extends his hand out to him, just as he did with Skylara, Yusei accepts it, shaking his hand, in respect to each other as duelists. "Great to see you again, too." Greiger says.

Jack walks up to join them, carrying his helmet under one arm, as he comes to stand on the other side of Skylara. "Jack, long time no see." Says Greiger. He extends his hand out to Jack, too, who takes it and shakes his hand, with mutual respect as duelists. "Hmph! I came because of your practical joke." Jack says. Greiger just smiles at that, 'he's still the same guy, as always' type of smile. "What's this temple?" Asks Yusei. Greiger turns towards the temple before them. "I built it to appease the Earthbound Immortals that have returned to this land as geoglyphs." Greiger says. "Appease the Earthbound Immortals?" Asks Skylara.

Greiger's younger sister and brother soon come running from their hut.

"They're my siblings, Max and Annie." Greiger says, smiling. "So, you have reunited with your family, Greiger. That is wonderful news." Says Skylara, smiling. Yusei is smiling, too, he remembers reuniting with her after being apart for three years.

Max and Annie stop before them. "Hooray! It's the King!" Max says, excitedly. "I'm not the King!" Says Jack, a little agitated. Max suddenly becomes disheartened and runs to hide behind Greiger, clinging to him. "I'm sorry. When the Earthbound Immortals took their souls, they don't remember anything during that time." Greiger says. He pats at Max's head, lightly. "That's why they still think that Jack Atlas is the King." Says Greiger. Skylara and Yusei glance over at Jack. "Actually, Max..." Greiger says. "Be quiet, Greiger!" Says Jack. Everyone glances over at him, in shock and surprise. "Your brother is correct!" Jack says. He points to the sky, like how he used to do. "There's only one King! Jack Atlas!" Max and Annie both smile and clap, impressed by Jack, standing before him.

Yusei, Skylara and Greiger are watching from nearby. "Having a family is great. After the battle, when I reunited with my siblings in my hometown, I was finally happy again." Says Greiger.

Flashback, Greiger's riding his duel runner, while Max and Annie ride in the sidecar, through the sandy terrain of the desert. "The three of us left on a journey to search for a new goal. But before long, I realized that I wasn't traveling to find a new goal. I was traveling in order to escape from my crimes." Greiger says, in voice-over. As Max and Annie are smiling, enjoying the scenery, Greiger's gravely serious. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. Greiger is sitting at the table, opposite of Skylara, with Jack and Yusei sitting at either side of her, inside the former's hut. "Greiger, you are wrong. You don't need to feel guilty." Says Skylara. "But, I couldn't forgive myself. Everyone makes mistakes. One choice is to forget about my mistakes and move on. But, I made a different choice. I decided to move on while holding on to my mistakes." Greiger says. "Hold on to your mistakes?" Asks Yusei.

Flashback. Greiger continues to ride through the desert terrain, with Annie and Max riding in the sidecar. "That's right. Instead of running away, I would face my mistakes. That led me and my siblings to his land." Greiger says, in voice-over. Greiger comes to a halt and steps off of his runner. Annie and Max step out of the sidecar, following after Greiger, as they look out to the land marked with the geoglyphs of the Earthbound Immortals. "After the battle between the Signers and Dark Signers, the Earthbound Immortals were sealed away. But, there's no guarantee that a different evil won't try to use the Earthbound Immortals again. This land seals away various spirits." Says Greiger, in voice-over.

Change flashback, to Greiger starting to build the stone temple. "We built a temple to appease the Earthbound Immortals and the other spirits. We decided to stay here as their guardians." Greiger says, in voice-over. Max and Annie are working together to lift up a huge brick and place it into position, while Greiger starts hammering away elsewhere on the structure.

Change flashback, to nightfall and sometime the following day, to a few townsfolk looking over some deceased livestock.. "But recently, livestock have died for unknown reasons in various villages. People say it's because of the Crimson Devil." Says Greiger, in voice-over. The flashback ends.

Back to the present. "Crimson Devil?" Jack asks. Skylara feels a slight twinge in her chest at the mention of the Crimson Devil and grasps at it, just above her heart, lightly. Greiger nods. "A few spirits must have escaped from the earth. Something is trying to resurrect from this land." Says Greiger. "Is this related to Yliaster's exploits at New Domino City?" Yusei asks. "Are the evil god and Earthbound Immortals going to resurrect?" Asks Jack. "I don't know. But, it may be impossible to seal everything. That's when I dreamed about you, Jack." Greiger says. "Hm." Says Jack. "This isn't coincidence. I was able to sense it because the evil god overtook my soul in the past. The dream was a premonition. According to the dream, you're going to perish due to your own power, Jack. If you keep relying on power and don't change your ways in battle, you'll eventually fail." Greiger says. Skylara and Yusei glance over at Jack, they're both watching his expression. "This dream could be a revelation to stop that from happening. It's telling you to find a battle technique that's the opposite of power." Says Greiger. Jack clenches his teeth and bangs his fist on the table, standing up from his seat. "I also thought about this a lot! But, my only battle strategy is to keep applying pressure with power!" Jack says, furiously. "Then show me that power! Convince me that Jack Atlas is power, in a turbo-duel!" Says Greiger.

Sometime later, in the evening. Jack is sitting on the stairway of the temple to himself. _"Do I have a way other than power?"_ Jack thinks to himself.

"Jack." Skylara says. Jack looks up, seeing her standing before him. Skylara then sits down beside him. "I know you think finding a different way of dueling is beneath you. However, if what Greiger said is true, what other choice do you really have?" Asks Skylara. Jack looks away from her and down at his laced fingers, as they clench together. "I don't think I have another way of dueling. Applying power is the only way I know how to duel." Jack says. Skylara looks away from him, sadly. "Even if it costs you your very life, Jack?" Asks Skylara. Jack looks back up at her. "Skylara." Jack says. He places one of his hands on top of hers. "I have too much to live for, I'm not going to die using the same technique that I've done time and time again." Says Jack. Skylara looks up at him. "Jack, there is something I need to tell you." Skylara says. "What is it, love?" Asks Jack. Skylara holds at his hand with both of hers, lightly. "Jack, I..." Skylara says.

There's a sudden sound of a shuffle, and she and Jack look to see that Max had approached, and being spotted, tries to hide behind one of the statues of the temple stairway. "Hello, Max." Says Skylara. "What is it?" Jack asks. Max comes out from hiding. "Well..." Says Max, timidly. "If you have something to say, then hurry up and say it." Jack says. "Well then..." Says Max. He stands up and walks over to stand before Jack and Skylara. "Jack, I want you to look at my deck. I want your advice." Max says. Jack nods. "Show me." Says Jack. Max takes out his deck and hands it over to him, he takes it and looks through it. Skylara's looking at it, as well. "It's a power deck." Jack says. "Like yours." Says Skylara. "I adore the King." Max says. Jack and Skylara look up at him. "That's why I copied your deck, Jack. But, I can't win like you." Says Max. Jack goes back to looking through the deck and then shuffles it up, handing it back to him. "These are fine." Jack says. "Really?" Asks Max, happily. Jack nods. He takes his deck back from Jack and puts it away. "Just walk the path that you believe in, Max. Your deck will respond to you, eventually." Skylara says. "The path that I believe in is the King!" Says Max. Skylara smiles, as Jack takes in what he said. "To me, you're like Qeutzalcoatl." Max says. "Quetzalcoatl?" Asks Jack. "He's a god that we worship here." Max says. He points over to one of the engravings in the temple. "There's also an engraving of our guardian Quetzalcoatl in this temple." Says Max. Jack and Skylara look over at what he's pointing at. Max walks over to one of the statues. "When I look at this, it always reminds me of Jack. He's strong and cool. And that he will guide us." Max says. "Quetzalcoatl..." Says Jack. He and Skylara look over.

As Greiger lights a torch, which continues to light up a bunch of torches in its wake.

Annie lights a different torch, which do the same thing, lighting up a bunch of torches after it.

Yusei, on his duel runner, lights up a torch, and then it lights up a bunch of different torches along either side of it.

Jack and Skylara walk up the stairway to get a better view and watch, as multiple groups of torches light up, carving out a path, which forms... "This is the killer whale geoglyph." Skylara says.

Annie walks over to Greiger, handing him the torch that she used. "Here, brother." Says Annie. Greiger takes it and places it in a bucket of water, extinguishing the flame. "Thanks." Greiger says.

Yusei rides up and soon comes to a halt near him and Annie, with a still lit torch in one of his hands. "I did as you asked." Says Yusei. "Thanks for your help, Yusei." Greiger says. "It's fine, but…" Says Yusei. He steps off of his runner and walks over to stand before Greiger. "Why do you want a geoglyph?" Yusei asks. "It's a substitute for a duel lane. Since it's bright, it'll be easier to see." Says Greiger. "Still..." Yusei says. Greiger turns to look over at Jack. "I'm ready, Jack." Says Greiger.

Jack puts on his helmet. "Me too!" Jack says. He then turns to Skylara. "Wasn't there something you wanted to tell me, love?" Asks Jack. "It can wait." Skylara says. Jack places one of his hands on her shoulder, lightly. "Are you sure?" Asks Jack. Skylara nods, subtly. "Yes, its nothing. Just, please be careful." Skylara says. Jack kisses her on the forehead, lightly. "Don't worry, I will." Says Jack. He then walks off down the stairway.

Skylara sighs, lightly. _"Its only that your going to be a father, Jack."_ Skylara thinks to herself. She then descends down the stairway of the temple.

Jack, on his duel runner, rides over and halts before Greiger. "We can start anytime you want, Greiger." Jack says. "No." Says Greiger. He turns to look over at the temple and one of the statues seem to pulsate in red.

At the same time, Max's eyes flash in red and become blank.

Greiger turns back to Jack. "Jack, Max'll be your opponent." Greiger says. "What?!" Asks Jack, infuriated. He steps off of his runner, as Yusei and Skylara approach him and Greiger. "Greiger!" Yusei says. "What's the meaning of this?" Asks Jack, furiously. "A child shouldn't duel Jack." Skylara says. "Are you making fun of me?!" Asks Jack, angrily. "Of course not." Greiger says. He turns to walk over to Max and Annie, placing one of his hands on top of the former's head. "He's the perfect opponent to bring out all your powers." Says Greiger. "But, I just looked at Max's deck." Jack says. "I'll do it! Nothing will make me happier than dueling the King!" Says Max. "Well said, Max." Greiger says, with praise. "Max..." Says Annie, worriedly. Jack scoffs, angrily, and walks off.

 _"_ _Greiger, what are you thinking?"_ Yusei thinks to himself.

A little bit later, Greiger, with Max in the sidecar, and Jack are astride their respective runners.

Jack glances over at Max and Greiger. _"Why do I have to participate in this farce?"_ Jack thinks to himself.

"Jack, show the land your power!" Greiger says.

Jack looks towards the torch lit duel lane, with a scowl.

Skylara, Yusei and Annie are standing by as spectators. "Max..." Says Annie, worriedly. _"Jack…_ _Greiger..."_ Skylara thinks to herself.

"Setting up 'Speed World Two'!" Max says. "Duel mode engaged." Says the computer.

"Let's do this!" Both Jack and Max say. Both runners are soon off, racing for the corner.

Max is having a bit of difficulty with the speed of the runner.

Jack notices this. "I'll let you have the corner!" Says Jack. He decelerates.

Letting Greiger and Max take the lead. "Go, Max!" Greiger says. Max draws. "My draw! I summon Freedom Bird in defense mode." Says Max. Freedom Bird has 0 defense points and is a level 1 monster.

 _"_ _I don't remember that monster in Max's deck."_ Jack thinks to himself.

"I place one card face down and end my turn." Max says.

Jack draws. "My turn! When monsters are only on the opponent's field, I can Special Summon Vice Dragon from my hand." Vice Dragon has 2000 attack points and is a level 5 monster. "When Vice Dragon is Special Summoned due to this effect, its attack and defense points are halved!" Says Jack. Vice Dragon's attack points decline to 1000.

"When you summon or Special Summon a monster on to your field, Freedom Bird's effect lets me Special Summon one Freedom Bird from my deck in defense mode!" Max says. A second Freedom Bird takes to the field.

"Hmph! I summon Dark Resonator!" Says Jack. Dark Resonator has 1300 attack points and is level 3 monster.

"I Special Summon a third Freedom Bird!" Max says. A third Freedom Bird takes the field, putting itself in the defensive position.

"Level three Dark Resonator tunes with level five Vice Dragon!" Says Jack. Vice Dragon glows and turns into its component five stars. Dark Resonator rises to join them in the sky, as the three stars circle around and form three rings. "The pulse of the King now forms a line here! Witness the power of the rumbling heavens! I Synchro Summon! My soul, Red Dragon Archfiend!" Jack says. His signature dragon roars, dramatically, looming over the duel. Red Dragon Archfiend has 3000 attack points and is a level 8 monster.

 _"_ _Red Dragon Archfiend's effect burns all monsters in defense mode."_ Greiger thinks to himself.

"I'll show you the power that's known worldwide! Red Dragon Archfiend, attack Freedom Bird! Due to its effect, all monsters in defense mode are destroyed!" Says Jack.

Each Freedom Bird is torched by the flames. Max has a small smirk on his face.

"You're not quaking in fear. I admire your courage. I end my turn!" Jack says.

"My turn! When monsters are only on the opponent's field, I can Special Summon Bewitching Butterfly." Says Max. Bewitching Butterfly has 800 attack points and is a level 2 monster.

 _"_ _That'_ _s strange. That monster wasn't in his deck, either."_ Jack thinks to himself.

"Bewitching Butterfly is destroyed when there's a monster on your field with more attack points." Max says. Bewitching Butterfly flutters up to Red Dragon Archfiend and ultimately shatters upon impact.

"Why did you choose to self-destruct?" Asks Jack.

"I Special Summon a second Bewitching Butterfly and destroy it." Max says. Another Bewitching Butterfly appears on the field and flutters towards Red Dragon Archfiend.

"What?" Asks Jack.

Butterfly shatters upon impact with Red Dragon.

"And a third!" Max says.

A third Bewitching Butterfly is summoned onto the field, only to flutter up to Archfiend and shatter upon impact with it.

"Then, I summon Ancestor Bird in defense mode!" Says Max. Ancestor Bird has 0 defense points and is a level 1 monster. "When there are three monsters in my graveyard with the same name, Ancestor Bird can't be destroyed." Max says.

"What? Red Dragon Archfiend's power has been sealed away?" Asks Jack. _"_ _That's why he was sacrificing cards with the same name!_ _"_ Jack thinks to himself.

"I place one card face down and end my turn." Max says.

Meanwhile, Yusei has the duel footage going on his runner screen, as he sits astride it, watching the duel play out. Skylara and Annie are watching over his shoulders. "His deck is tailored to stop Jack's power deck. He is doing surprisingly well." Says Skylara. She and Yusei both look up as Greiger, with Max, and Jack ride past them.

As they ride past, the statue on the temple pulses in red, and Max's eyes flare along with it.

Jack notices this. _"His eyes._ _There's something inside him that I didn't sense before."_ Jack thinks to himself. He draws. "Hmph! My turn! I summon Lancer Archfiend!" Jack says. Lancer Archfiend has 1600 attack points and is a level 4 monster. "Max, Red Dragon Archfiend's red soul will burn up your shallow strategy! Red Dragon Archfiend, attack Ancestor Bird!" Says Jack.

"What? Ancestor Bird can't be destroyed, there's three cards with the same name in the graveyard!" Greiger says.

Red Dragon Archfiend flies at Ancestor Bird.

"Lancer Archfiend's effect activates! When my monster attacks, it deals piercing damage! My crimson power destroys everything! Go, Absolute Powerforce!" Says Jack.

"You're determined to use power to win?" Greiger asks.

The statue on the temple pulses in red once again.

Max's eyes are still flaring in red. "I reveal my two 'Smoke Mirror' trap cards! When there are three monsters in my graveyard with the same name, one of my monster's defense points increase by one of your monster's attack points until the End Phase." Says Max. Three Freedom Bird's appear out of one of the trap cards and three Bewitching Butterfly's appear out from the other one. "Ancestor Bird gains Red Dragon Archfiend's power and now has 6000 defense points!" Max says. A smoke mirror appears from where the three Freedom Birds and three Bewitching Butterfly's were circling.

"What?" Asks Jack.

Red Dragon Archfiend halts his attack, seeing its reflection in the mirror. The reflection of Red Dragon suddenly ignites in flames and scorches the real Archfiend, turning it into a living inferno.

Jack looks back over his shoulder.

"This is..." Greiger says.

The blazing inferno that was once Red Dragon Archfiend flies towards Jack.

 _"_ _It's the same as my dream!"_ Greiger thinks to himself.

Red Dragon is prepared to attack. Jack's looking over his shoulder at his praised monster. "Crimson Devil..." Says Jack. Archfiend attacks him, engulfing him and his runner in flames, just like in Greiger's dream. Jack gives off a scream, as his lifepoints plummet to 1000.

"Jack!" Both Skylara and Yusei say.

 _"_ _He'll perish due to his own power._ _It's happening!"_ Greiger thinks to himself.

As Jack's runner is eveloped in flames, it skids and rams into the many lit torches and sends him flying off of it. Jack's lying on the ground, getting up to his hands and knees, staggering.

Greiger comes to a halt nearby. "Jack!" Says Greiger. He and Max step off of the former's runner and run over to Jack, as he gets himself up to one knee. "Jack, are you okay?" Max asks. He places one of his hands on Jack's shoulder, only for him to nudge it away, forcefully. "Don't touch me!" Says Jack, angrily and harshly. Max scoots back, his eyes are normal again. Jack notices the change in his eyes and looks away to the ground.

Skylara, Yusei and Annie run over to Jack, Max and Greiger. "Jack." Yusei says. Jack staggers to get himself up and glares over at Greiger. "That wasn't enough to take away my power!" Says Jack, furiously. "Jack, I'm sorry. I just wanted you to rethink the way you battle instead of relying on power." Greiger says. Jack walks over to his runner and gets astride it.

"Jack." Says Skylara.

"I won't abandon power!" Jack says, firmly. He then takes off.

Leaving Skylara, Yusei, Greiger, Max and Annie to watch him take off into the night. "Jack." Says Yusei. "Yusei..." Skylara says, weakly. Yusei looks over at her, as she almost completely collapses. Yusei gasps and catches her, holding her close to him and keeping her standing. "Sis, what's wrong?" Asks Yusei. "I just… started to feel… really weak..." Skylara says, weakly. Yusei brings her down to knees, as he sits up right next to her, trying to keep her from falling over. "It is as if… the Crimson Dragon itself… is fading away..." Says Skylara, weakly. She suddenly loses consciousness, out of weakness.

"Skylara." Yusei says, worriedly. "This may be the work of Crimson Devil. All I know is that Crimson Dragon and Crimson Devil are sworn enemies. So, the Crimson Devil might be slowing trying to bleed away the Crimson Dragon's powers so it can't get in the way. And since Skylara and the Crimson Dragon are one with each other, it's effecting her, too." Says Greiger. "We need to get her out of here." Yusei says. "We can take her back to my place." Says Greiger. Yusei nods. "Hang in there, Skylara." Yusei says.


	20. Chapter 20

_Chapter 20: Crimson Devil_

Jack's riding along down the torch lit duel lane. The blazing inferno that was once Red Dragon Archfiend flies towards Jack. The blazing beast that was once Red Dragon is prepared to attack. Jack's looking back over his shoulder at his praised monster. Archfiend attacks him, engulfing him and his runner in flames. Jack gives off a scream, as his lifepoints plummet to 1000. As Jack's runner is enveloped in flames, it skids and ram into the many lit torches and sends him flying off of it. Jack's lying on the ground, getting up to his hands and knees, staggering.

Jack staggers to get himself up and glares over at Greiger. "That wasn't enough to take away my power!" Jack says, furiously. "Jack, I'm sorry. I just wanted you to rethink the way you battle instead of relying on power." Says Greiger. Jack walks over to his runner and gets astride it.

"Jack." Skylara says.

"I won't abandon power!" Says Jack, firmly. He then takes off.

Leaving Skylara, Yusei, Greiger, Max and Annie to watch him take off into the night. "Jack." Yusei says.

Dawn is breaking, as Jack is still out riding through the desert terrain. _"_ _Why?_ _We didn't determine who won and lost._ _B_ _ut, I was clearly being pressured._ _My power didn't work against a kid._ _No, that's not true!_ _If the duel continued, I wouldn't have lost!_ _My power would've destroyed everything to pieces!_ _I won't abandon power! It's the only way I know how to_ _duel_ _!"_ Jack thinks to himself. He continues to ride on, speeding up a bit.

Jack soon comes to a halt before a stone wall and archway that surrounds a village. He takes off his helmet and steps off of his runner. Jack walks on through the archway that leads into the village. _"What is this place?"_ Jack thinks to himself. The village seems pretty deserted, with small houses made of stone.

An old man is seated before a built fire, looking into it rather intensely.

Jack notices him and walks further into the village, approaching the old man.

"This is the work of the Crimson Devil."

Jack comes to a stop at a respectable distance. "What happened, old man?" Asks Jack. "This is the work of the Crimson Devil. The Crimson Devil destroyed this village." "Crimson Devil? Is this the destroyed village that Greiger was talking about? What happened to the other villagers?" Jack asks. "They left the village. This is the work of the Crimson Devil." Jack's eyes are smoldering.

Sudden laughing can be heard throughout the village, it seems to echo off of the silence of the place.

Then out from the side of one of the houses, a shadowy figure appears. "Over here." It continues laughing, as if toying with Jack.

Jack spots the shadowy figure and gives chase, as it continues to mockingly laugh. Jack can see a glimpse of the figure, as it runs down the corner. Jack continues to chase after the shadowy figure, as it keeps laughing throughout the village. "Who is that? Wait!" Says Jack. He keeps running after the shadowy figure that continues to flee and mockingly laugh at him.

As Jack continues to chase this shadowy figure, he soon comes to a stop when he runs right back to where the old man is seated.

The old man is smiling, mischievously, as the laughing continues. The old man stands up, still gazing into the fire.

Jack approaches the old man, cautiously.

When he gets closer, the fire suddenly explodes and expands higher, glowing in crimson red light, seemingly forming a type of serpent, as it gazes down at Jack. "Crimson Devil?" Jack asks. The creature seems to pulsate and some sort of power rushes at him, only he stands his ground, not at all intimidated. Jack turns his attention to the old man. "Who are you?" Asks Jack. The old man looks over at him, smiling, mischievously, and laughing, mockingly. "Jack Atlas, the lover of the Crimson Dragon's host. I'm the Crimson Devil's familiar." He continues to laugh. "Crimson Devil? Old man, enough of your foolishness! If you keep mocking me..." Jack says. "My master is speaking!" The serpent-like creature rises higher. Jack backs off a bit. The old man's eyes glow in crimson red. "He says 'he'll fulfill any wish you desire'. Just as that dreaded dragon has bestowed immense powers onto your lover, my master can do the same for you. Since he's the devil, he can make anything come true." The possessed old man laughs, mischievously. "What I desire, isn't it obvious? I want overwhelming power that can destroy everyone!" Says Jack. "So, you want the power that rivals that of your lover? Then come over here." The old man laughs, mischievously. "Come to the Crimson Devil. Crimson Devil is waiting for you." The serpent-like creature seems to pulsate and send a rush of power at Jack, who takes the blow.

When Jack regains himself, his eyes have become blank. The old man has returned to normal and so has the fire. "This is the work of the Crimson Devil." The old man suddenly collapses to the ground.

Jack is still standing there, full of a new purpose.

Meanwhile, Max walks up to the temple and sits down on the stairway. He then takes out his deck and looks through it, his cards are the same ones that Jack and Skylara looked through last night, none of the cards he used in the duel are in it.

In a guest hut. Skylara is sleeping on one of the beds, while Annie is tending to her. _"_ _She seems to be getting worse and worse."_ Annie thinks to herself. She gently dabs a wet cloth along Skylara's forehead. Annie sighs, lightly. _"_ _I don't know what else to do for her. Its not like this is a normal illness."_ Annie thinks to herself. She gets up and walks out of the hut.

As soon as she leaves, Skylara slowly opens her eyes, which have turned red. "Crimson… Devil..." Skylara says, softly and weakly.

Inside the hut. Yusei and Greiger are sitting across the table from each other. "What? The monsters that Max used in his duel against Jack aren't in his deck?" Asks Yusei. "It was bugging me. So, I looked at Max's deck." Greiger says. "Did he really use that deck against Jack?" Asks Yusei. "Yeah. Max only has one deck." Greiger says. "That's strange. What did Max say?" Asks Yusei. "He says that 'he remembers dueling Jack, but he doesn't remember what happened during the duel'." Greiger says. "Greiger, can I ask you something? Why did you want Max to duel Jack?" Asks Yusei. Greiger sighs, heavily. "Max is only a kid. Even if he managed to deal one serious blow, Jack's overwhelming power would've defeated him. So why?" Yusei asks. "I don't know myself." Says Greiger. "You don't know?" Yusei asks, a little bemused. "I thought my dream was a premonition. I wanted Jack to realize that he trusted his power too much. That's why I wanted Jack to duel. But, why Max?" Asks Greiger. "Why did you invite us? Why Jack?" Yusei says. "Because I had that dream." Says Greiger. "Why did you think Jack was going to die when you had that dream?" Yusei says. "I don't know." Says Greiger. "Greiger?" Yusei asks. Greiger suddenly feels a pulse of power and stands up. Yusei soon follows. "Greiger!" Says Yusei. "Crimson Devil." Greiger says. Yusei reaches for him. "Greiger, what's wrong?" Asks Yusei, concerned. He shakes Greiger's shoulder, which snaps him out of it. "Was I being used?" Greiger asks. "What do you mean?" Asks Yusei.

Annie soon rushes into the hut. "Skylara's gone." Annie says. "What?" Asks Yusei. "I left her for only a few minutes and when I came back, she was gone." Annie says. "I feel like this is the Crimson Devil's doing. He's been waiting to do battle with the Crimson Dragon once more. And in Skylara's current state, she wouldn't be able to fight off the Crimson Devil, let alone defend herself right now. The Crimson Devil's been slowly bleeding away the Crimson Dragon's power from her since the moment she arrived here. This must've been the Crimson Devil's plan all along." Says Greiger. "We need to find her. She couldn't have gotten far in her condition." Yusei says.

Outside, Max is still sitting on the stairway of the temple. He looks up, seeing Skylara walking up to him. Max stands up. "Skylara." Says Max. Skylara stops at the foot of the stairway, looking up at the temple, her eyes still red. "You shouldn't be out here in your condition. You should be resting." Max says. "The Crimson Devil is near. I must stop him here, while I'm still able." Says Skylara, her voice slightly echoic and menacing. She starts forward, making her way to the top of the temple.

Max watches her go and then turns to the sound of an approaching runner.

Jack is riding up.

"Jack!" Max says, full of delight.

Jack soon comes to a halt and removes his helmet. He steps off of his runner and walks over to the temple. "Jack, I'm sorry." Says Max. Jack walks past him and stops at the foot of the stairway of the temple. Jack glances up at the temple and starts forward.

Max runs up to him and grabs him by the arm. "Jack!" Max says. Jack pushes him away, harshly, and he falls onto the ground. "Jack..." Says Max, a little hurt by this.

Jack doesn't stop his stride as he makes his way up to the top of the temple.

When he reaches the top, Skylara is facing away from Jack. Skylara glances back at him from the corner of her eye.

Jack stops at a respectable distance, as she turns to face him. Jack's eyes are still blank. "Dragon!" Jack says, his voice very menacing, echoic and hoarse.

"Devil. So, you decided to sink your teeth into this one. I shouldn't be too surprised, you were always interested in the most powerful of beings to use as your host." Says Skylara.

Jack smirks, evilly. "Just like before, you chose a woman as your host. Just like you, the mighty Crimson Dragon to be sealed away behind the weaker of the two beings." Jack says.

"Always quick to assume women are weak, yet my previous hosts were always able to best you. Whether they were men or women, my hosts and my Signers were always successful in defeating you and your Dark Signers." Says Skylara.

"Not this time. True, your precious Signers managed to defeat my Dark Signers. However, you know clearly well that this battle isn't over yet. It ends here, between you and I. You seem to forget that your host and my soon to be host are lovers." Jack says.

"No, I'm very well aware of that fact. And with that being the case, do you really think that he would willingly allow you to harm his lover. The love these two humans hold for one another is beyond powerful, I have seen it firsthand. In fact, that love has created a new life within my host." Says Skylara.

"I'm very much aware of the little creature that's growing in your host's womb. However, this vessel doesn't yet know of his unborn child and I intend to keep it that way. After today, I will split you from your host and have this vessel watch his lover die right in front of him, along with his unborn child with her. And after that, he'll be so swallowed up in sadness and guilt that he couldn't protect his lover and unborn child, that he will willingly succumb to me with nothing else to live for or protect." Jack says.

Skylara's already red eyes start blazing in crimson red. "You're a monster, as always. However, I will not allow you to succeed." Says Skylara.

"Well, considering your host hasn't unlocked her true, all powerful self yet. I have nothing to fear." Jack says. He rushes at Skylara, who sprints towards him.

They collide, keeping each other at bay, easily.

The sky above is starting to downcast.

"Cease your efforts, Devil. You can't break the bond these two share." Says Skylara. Jack smirks. "Oh, I don't plan to break their bond. I plan to use it to my advantage. This vessel is already trying to fight me to keep his precious lover from harm. Well, he's going to have to fight a lot harder to keep that from happening. All he has to do is say the words and your little host will be close to meeting her end." Jack says. He lifts his arm up to the sky.

Max looks on from down below, awestruck.

"Give me power!" Says Jack. "No!" Skylara says.

Thunder rolls from the sky above and blue-colored lightning strikes Jack, who, with a lot of force, easily sends her flying and colliding into the stone tablet, with a serpent-like creature etched into it. As soon as she hits it, Skylara's eyes regain their normal emerald green hue.

"Jack!" Says Max.

Jack walks over to Skylara, standing over her. Skylara's succumbing to unconsciousness due to the amount of pain that she has endured. Jack kneels down before her. "Jack..." Skylara says, pained. She tries reaching for him. Jack places one of his hands on her chest, she lightly grasps at his arm. "Your better off sleeping this through. This is only going to get a lot worse for you." Says Jack. "Jack… shall stop you… Crimson Devil..." Skylara says, weakly. She soon loses consciousness, out of weakness and pain.

Jack smirks, slightly. "Familiar, she's all yours." Says Jack. He stands up.

Flames suddenly swirl around Skylara's unconscious body, lifting her up into the air and then enveloping her completely. She's gone.

As the lightning strikes Jack, a bright light obscures him and he's gone.

"Jack?" Max asks, shocked. He runs to the foot of the stairway. "Jack!" Says Max.

Smoke is rising from where Jack once stood, and shortly diminishes.

"Jack..." Max says.

Annie, Greiger and Yusei soon come running. "Max!" Says Greiger. Max turns to face them. "What happened?" Greiger asks. "Jack disappeared!" Says Max. "Jack?" Yusei asks. "What are you talking about?" Asks Greiger. He, Yusei, Max and Annie run up the stairway of the temple.

When they get to the top, a big hole has been blasted into it, which leads into a hidden stairway inside. "What's going on? We built this temple by stacking rocks. Why is there a cave inside?" Greiger asks. Max picks up one of the rocks from the wreckage, awestruck. "Did Jack go inside?" Asks Yusei.

Meanwhile, deep inside the cave of the temple, Jack, who has returned to his normal self, is descending the stairs. As he continues, torches light one by one as he approaches. Jack walks on, coming across a type of shrine, with a statue at the far end of it. "What's this?" Jack asks. He looks up at the statue, which is a much larger version of the ones on the outside of the temple. "What is this place?" Asks Jack.

Suddenly, the mischievous laughing has returned. A few fireballs appear, swirling around Jack and flying through the room. Jack gasps. The fireballs fly around the statue and soon take form, standing before it. Standing before the statue, facing Jack, is a little fire demon.

"Who are you?" Jack asks.

The fire demon snickers, mockingly. "I've been waiting for you, Jack Atlas. Welcome to Crimson Devil's home."

Jack steps up a bit. "Where is the Crimson Devil?" Asks Jack, aggravated.

The fire demon chuckles. "My master is deep inside this temple. He's been waiting for you for a long time."

"Then he should show himself and give me power!" Jack says.

"Yes, but there's a condition."

"Condition?" Asks Jack.

"You must perform a contractual ritual with me, the Crimson Devil's familiar."

"Contractual ritual?" Jack asks.

"If you win, Crimson Devil will give you overwhelming power. The very power that rivals that of your lover's."

"Overwhelming power? Fine! What's the ritual?" Asks Jack.

"A duel, of course."

"A duel?" Jack asks, bewildered.

Meanwhile, Yusei, Greiger and Max are walking down the stairs that lead inside the temple. "This wasn't here when we were building the temple." Says Greiger. Yusei's looking around, as they continue to walk down the stairs. "This wasn't created by nature. Someone built this." Yusei says. "That means someone led me, Max and Jack to this place." Says Greiger.

"Will you accept this duel, Jack Atlas? Or will you decline?" The Familiar laughs, mischievously.

Jack flinches a bit and glances up at the statue. He steps up a bit. "I want power!" Jack says.

The statue pulsates.

And Jack gasps, his eyes going blank. "Start the ritual." Says Jack.

"I knew it! Let's make your wish come true! It's showtime!" He snickers.

Jack's still staring, blankly.

"The contractual ritual will now begin. Since long ago, the ritual is always a duel. If you defeat me, your wish will come true. And not only that, but your lover will be spared, too. If she can survive that long, that is."

Jack's duel-disk activates and auto-shuffles his deck.

The Familiar chuckles.

Both Jack and the Familiar start with 4000 lifepoints each. "Duel!" Both Jack and the Familiar say.

Jack draws his hand.

Stone cards descend from above before the Familiar.

Yusei, Greiger and Max run down the stairs. "There's light over here!" Says Yusei. They soon come to a stop on one of the stairways, witnessing the duel down below. "What's this?" Greiger asks. "Jack!" Says Yusei. He moves to run down the stairs.

Don't interfere!" The Familiar says. He stomps on the ground, causing rifts to appear and surround Jack.

Rifts start to appear on the staircase, too. "Jack!" Says Yusei. The stairs before him suddenly shatter and break off, stopping him in his tracks.

Jack's now standing on a high-up pillar of stone, with nowhere to go and no one to reach him.

The Familiar laughs, mischievously. He then sends a blast towards the exit and tons of rocks fall, blocking the only way out.

"Oh-no! The exit! Jack!" Yusei says.

At the sound of his name, Jack snaps out of it and looks up at where he's standing. "Yusei..." Says Jack.

The Familiar sends another blast right at Yusei, sending him off of his feet and into the wall, knocking him out.

"Yusei!" Jack says.

Yusei soon comes to. Greiger and Max run down to him. "Yusei!" Says Greiger. He looks down at Jack. "Jack, Crimson Devil's spirit used Max and me to bring you here." Greiger says.

"What?" Asks Jack, bewildered.

The Familiar laughs. "It's too late. The contractual ritual has already begun." The Familiar says.

"Our agreement is void!" Says Jack.

"That's not allowed! If you win this ritual, I'll give you power. But if I win, your body will belong to Crimson Devil." The Familiar says.

"What?" Asks Jack, shocked.

"By taking over Jack Atlas's body, Crimson Devil will resurrect after a ten thousand year slumber." The Familiar says. He then glances up at Yusei, Greiger and Max. "You will be sacrificed for this ritual." Says the Familiar.

"Stop messing around!" Jack says.

"Jack, just as that dreaded lizard chose your lover, Crimson Devil himself chose you." Says the Familiar.

Jack seems bewildered by this.

"Even if you fall into the depths of hell, your yearning for power still burns red. You should be honored that Crimson Devil will resurrect and engulf your body." The Familiar says.

"Go ahead and try to take my body!" Says Jack.

"Jack!" Yusei says.

"Just wait, Yusei! I'll finish him quickly!" Says Jack.

The Familiar laughs. "Oh, there is one other thing I should probably bring up." The Familiar says.

"Hm?" Asks Jack.

A type of orb suddenly appears behind him.

Jack looks back behind himself and his eyes suddenly go wide, in sudden realization.

Yusei and Greiger are just as shocked. "No!" Yusei says.

"Skylara!" Says Jack.

Indeed, inside of the orb, submerged in some sort of red-colored liquid, is Skylara, placed in the fetal position. Her eyes are closed and her body is naked, with her long, raven black, red gradated hair stirring around a bit due to the fluid surrounding her, but its also covering up her backside pretty well, too.

Jack walks up to the orb and places one of his hands on it. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of this thing. I'll break it." Jack says.

"I wouldn't do that, Jack. You see, the fluid inside that orb is keeping her stable. If you break it, she will die." Says the Familiar.

Jack looks back at the fire demon. "What?! No!" Jack says.

"Of course, if you manage to win this duel, not only will you receive power. But, she'll also be spared, with both her and that dreaded dragon intact." Says the Familiar.

Jack lightly pats the orb. "Skylara, I don't know if you can hear me, but I will save you. That I promise you, love. Just hold on a bit longer." Jack says. He then walks away from the orb, facing the Familiar. "Your going to regret getting her involved in this!" Says Jack.

"In all honesty, we're not entirely after her. We want the Crimson Dragon out of our way and she just so happens to be the direct link to him. So, she's involved in this simply because she's the Crimson Dragon's host. Now, let's start the ritual. I'll go first. My move! I summon Abyss Kid in defense mode!" The Familiar says. Abyss Kid has 0 defense points and is a level 1 monster. "I place one card face down and end my turn." Says the Familiar.

"The contractual ritual has started." Yusei says. "Unbelievable." Says Greiger. Max is clinging to him.

"What can you do with a monster with zero defense points? My turn!" Jack says. He draws. "When monsters are only on your side of the field, I can summon Big Piece Golem without releasing another monster." Says Jack. Big Piece Golem has 2100 attack points and is a level 5 monster. "Big Piece Golem, attack Abyss Kid! Go, Power Pressure!" Jack says. Golem lands a hit to Abyss Kid, who shatters, only to return and blast right at him. Jack winces, as his lifepoints decrease down to 3200.

The Familiar snickers. "When Abyss Kid is sent to the graveyard, you take eight hundred points of damage." Says the Familiar.

"I place one card face down and end my turn!" Jack says. _"_ _Since he knows how I battle, he's using a strategy that evades power._ _Just like the duel against Max._ _He controlled Max!"_ Jack thinks to himself.

"My turn. I summon Abyss Boat Watchman!" Says the Familiar. Abyss Boat Watchman has 0 attacks points and is a level 1 monster. "Since Abyss Kid was destroyed, its graveyard effect destroys the monster on my field. When Abyss Boat Watchman is destroyed and send to the graveyard, you take eight hundred points of damage!" The Familiar says.

Jack winces, as his lifepoints decrease further to 2400.

The Familiar chortles, mischievously. "Then, I activate the continuous spell 'Spirit Wave Barrier'! Monsters that attack me directly are negated and destroyed. At the End Phase of my third turn after activation, this card is destroyed." Says the Familiar.

"Though his field is wide open, Jack can't attack." Yusei says.

"I end my turn." Says the Familiar.

 _"_ _His strategy is to destroy his summoned monster by using_ _his graveyard monster's effect, and then he deals effect damage._ _Though his field is wide open, his continuous spell prevents direct attacks._ _His strategy is_ _the_ _complete opposite of using power to duel._ _Is he inviting me to attack?"_ Jack thinks to himself.

The Familiar laughs, mockingly.

"This duel is the same as his duel against Max. What Jack does next will lead his destiny in different directions. Will he choose a new way to duel? Or will he choose to duel by pressuring with power?" Greiger asks. "Jack." Says Yusei.

"I already know my answer! I'll keep using power to defeat him! My turn! I summon Power Breaker from m hand!" Jack says. Power Breaker has 1900 attack points and is a level 4 monster. _"If I can just destroy that card..."_ Jack thinks to himself. "Power Breaker, go in for a direct attack!" Says Jack.

"Why? The continuous spell prevents direct attacks!" Greiger says. Yusei is watching, silently.

"Power Slash!" Says Jack. Power Breaker heads for the Familiar.

"Why? Due to 'Spirit Wave Barrier's' effect, direct attacks are negated, and your monster is destroyed!" The Familiar says. Power Breaker punches the stone spell card, and shatters upon impact.

"But when Power Breaker is destroyed, one face-up spell or trap card on your side of the field is destroyed! Destroy 'Spirit Wave Barrier'!" Says Jack.

The card cracks and shatters. The Familiar isn't fazed by this at all, he's grinning, full of mischief.

"Now your field is completely empty! Big Piece Golem, attack 'im directly! Go, Power Pressure!" Jack says. Golem goes in for the attack.

"I won't let you do that! I reveal my trap card 'Guidance to the Abyss'. When there are two Abyss monsters in my graveyard, I can Special Summon one Abyss monster from my deck. I Special Summon Abyss Guardian in defense mode!" Says the Familiar. Abyss Guardian has 0 defense points and is a level 1 monster. "Due to Abyss Kid's effect from my graveyard, Abyss Guardian is destroyed." The Familiar says. Abyss Guardian vanishes from the field in a blast of light. "When Abyss Guardian is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, the Battle Phase ends and you take eight hundred points of damage." Says the Familiar.

The blast of light swirls around Jack, lowering his lifepoints down to 1600.

"By repeatedly summoning and destroying, he's playing around with Jack's power. Actually, he's cornering him." Yusei says. "Is my premonition coming true?" Asks Greiger. Him and Yusei exchange glances. "Jack." Max says, worriedly.

"I end my turn." Says Jack.

"My turn! There's nothing left to do. I end my turn." The Familiar says. He snickers.

"That punk." Says Jack.

Then suddenly, a crimson-colored creature soars by along the deep, dark chasm below.

Jack's noticed it. "What was that?" Jack asks.

Yusei, Greiger and Max saw it, too. "That looked like..." Says Greiger.

The creature rises up and arches over Jack before returning back to the dark chasm from which it came.

"That's… I know. Why couldn't I remember? There's an Earthbound Immortal known as Crimson Devil!" Greiger says. "Earthbound Immortal?" Asks Yusei.

Jack looks up at them, too.

"Five thousand years ago, the Earthbound Immortals were sealed inside geoglyphs. And five thousand years before that, there was an Earthbound Immortal that pushed Crimson Dragon to its limits. It was sealed deeper than the geoglyphs. That Earthbound Immortal was Red Nova!" Greiger says.

"That's right. My master is the Earthbound Immortal that not even the Dark Signers could control." Says the Familiar. He laughs, mischievously and evilly.

 _"I feel the source of all fear."_ Jack thinks to himself.

"You must be happy that Crimson Devil is about to resurrect!" The Familiar says. The temple is starting to shake.

"That's..." Says Yusei.

"Red Nova!" Jack says.

"And as long as that woman stays asleep, that dreaded Dragon cannot interfere." Says the Familiar.

Jack gasps and looks back at the orb, which contains the sleeping Skylara inside of it. He walks over to it and places one of his hands on it. Jack looks back over his shoulder at the Familiar. "What is this thing really doing to 'er?" Jack asks.

The Familiar laughs. "The liquid inside that orb is keeping her and the Crimson Dragon at bay. As long as she stays in that orb, she will continue to sleep and the Crimson Dragon will slowly wither away from within her. The Crimson Dragon isn't able to escape and save itself when its host is in terrible condition. So, as soon as that lizard succumbs to its situation, it will perish, leaving its host without a life force. Right now, that dreaded dragon hasn't given in yet. So, your lover is okay, for now that is." Says the Familiar.

Jack turns away from him and clenches his fist at his side. He then pounds his fist against the orb, causing it to crack on impact. "Skylara, if you can hear me." Jack says. He looks up at the sleeping Skylara on the other side of this orb. "I need you to wake up! You need to wake up right now!" Says Jack.

The Familiar snickers. "Your wasting your breath, Jack. As long as she's in there, she won't wake. The only way to save your lover is to win this duel." The Familiar says.

Jack clenches his teeth. "If beating you is the only way to save her, then you can bet that I'm going to do just that! Your going to regret this!" Says Jack, fired up.

Outside of the temple, the all too familiar violet lines trace the land. Annie is standing on the top of the temple, looking up at the Dark Sign that illuminates the sky.


End file.
